


The Captain's farewell

by Bellawritesfiction



Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-14 23:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3430226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellawritesfiction/pseuds/Bellawritesfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Janto fanfic. Mostly AU, but has canonical moments. This is technically not a tale about the love story between Ianto Jones and Jack Harkness. It's a story about love and loss. It contains heartbreak and pain, but it ends with an epic love story that no one sees coming. Jack is immortal, and he is affiliated with Torchwood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Backdrop

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter contains a lot of information and does only serve as a backdrop for my story. Jack will be introduced in chapter two, and the whole thing takes off after that. I will inform you that I am not very familiar with British Aristocracy and I have limited knowledge of British WW2 history. I've used the internet for some information, but a lot of it is just my imagination at work. I write American English and the dialogue will be affected by that. If anyone from the UK feels the need to help out, please PM me.

It was late 1945. The war had ended, but the country was still affected by the aftermath. After more than five years of battle, people were doing their best to build a new life. For some, it was easier. The wealthy were still wealthy, and even if the war put a strain on the economy as a whole, it didn't really matter for those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Or maybe it was even harder for them. When you're on the top of the food chain, the fall from glory can seem much higher than it is.

Life for the aristocrats weren't exactly like it had been at the turn of the century, but for the ones that had invested wisely, it wasn't too much of a difference. When a lot of their peers desperately tried to cling to the old ways as their income decreased, this particular family was still doing quite well. That one of these 'investments' had been an imported heir, helped the situation immensely.

Edward, the heir to the Manor had met his American wife just before World War One, and the 'dowry' she came with was a welcomed boost. The manor got much needed upgrades, and the family could keep up appearances almost like in the old days. It was still not exactly the same, but Ed had adjusted fine. Unlike some of these 'money-for-title' marriages, Edward and Dorothy were truly in love, and all they really wanted was to have a big family and to live happily ever after.

With his modern view on things, Edward accepted his wife's somewhat strange take on their privileged life, making the family outcasts for a while. The war changed all that. When Edward came back in 1918 as a war hero, everything was forgotten, and he was back in the good graces of the nobility. That most of his peers struggled a little financially made them even more eager to have Edward and his family amongst them.

One couldn't really call it struggling. Some of them had to cut staff from almost a hundred down to thirty. Their lavish parties had to seize somewhat, and some of the more remote family members had to actually work for a living.

Ed's sister and Ianto's mother, Lady Mary, was raised in the old fashion manner. Her 'job' was to marry well, spend the rest of her life as a wife and mother, and then just wait for grandchildren.

Finding a suitable husband wasn't easy during the first years after Dorothy came to the house, and it could seem like she would have to settle for a man of the people.

She met John Jones at one of those balls they arranged for the young girls of semi-blue blood where they could meet young men of the same breeding. He was a banker and a self-made man. He had never set foot in a manor house, and for Mary's father, he was hardly good enough for her. The only reason for him even being there was the fact that he managed the family's investments. He was never considered an eligible bachelor.

Mary herself agreed. She was used to a different life than he could have provided her with. It had nothing to do with money - he was loaded - but he was in fact one of the common people and also a bit too old for her.

During the war, Mr Jones came to the house on multiple occasions to discuss finances with the old Baron. Ed and Mary's father was of poor health and had to meet with the man in his private quarters. At this time, he rarely left the manor house since even walking the stairs could be tough enough.

John soon learned how to behave among nobility, and during the war he became more or less accepted as part of the family. At this time, the Baron was on his deathbed and he died before John got to ask him the crucial question. As soon as the funeral was over and before Edward returned to service, John asked for his sister's hand in marriage.

In his early thirties, ten years older than his wife, John was eager to procreate as soon as possible, and only ten months after the wedding, Rhiannon came along. A year after that, she got a little brother, Ianto.

They lived in London for a while, but Mary never really fancied city life, so eventually she moved back to the manor. John still worked in the city, but spent all his free time in the countryside with his wife and children.

It wasn't a problem for Edward, the new Lord of the manor. The place was easily big enough to house the extended family, so Ed and his wife welcomed them with open arms. The fact that they had problems conceiving themselves also caused them to pamper their niece and nephew.

The Lord and the Lady of the manor didn't have an heir yet, and that made Ianto next in line for the title, so everybody felt it would be better if he was brought up there anyway. He had no clue about this himself, so when he at the age of ten finally got a cousin, Philip, he didn't know that he was bumped down. He himself had already planned to follow in his father's footsteps and could hardly wait to get out of that secluded living arrangement.

According to family tradition, he was supposed to have been sent to boarding school when he turned seven, but his mother had not wanted to let him go. He was way over ten when he finally left, and even if it was a rough transition and it took some time for him to make friends, he really enjoyed it there.

There weren't many children at the manor, and he was frequently bored in the company of adults. He sometimes played with the young son of the housekeeper, Harry, but the boy was five years younger and they could only play outside, as indoors there were strict rules on where the boy could go. The only reason he was even permitted on the premises at all was because the butler was his father, and the old Baron had allowed his parents to marry under his reign. Playing with his sister was never really an option. Rhiannon was aloof and distant, and she actually preferred the company of the adults.

At the school, Ianto made a few friends, and even if he missed his family, it was a new and exciting experience regardless. It was still not the freedom he really craved, so he looked forward to going to college. That was like getting out of prison, and he enjoyed every moment of it. He passed his exams with flying colors, and at the age of 22, he became the youngest associate in his father's firm.

Money was never an issue, so when he wanted to find a place in London, his parents bought him a nice flat within walking distance from his place of work. They also provided him with a manservant and a part-time maid.

Rhiannon married early, and they hardly ever saw her after she moved far up north with her husband.

A new war was coming. Ianto didn't look at himself as a fighting man, but felt compelled to sign up for service. He didn't even get that far before Military Intelligence contacted him. He'd showed extraordinary skills in tracking funds going in and out of the country, and they wanted to utilize that.

While many of his friends fought and got killed or injured on the battlefields, Ianto spent the whole war cooped up in his office trying to make sure that no British funds were used to finance the German war machinery.

Uncle Ed, who had served in the last war, left to join his comrades in their fight against the German threat. He didn't return. He got shot down on a recognizance flight just before Christmas 1943.

By that time, many of the staff had left as well. The young boys were drafted, and the girls were given the opportunity to become nurses or office personnel. Some of them even worked on assembly lines to build weapons, while others were hired for more clandestine missions.

The lack of help and the fact that the army needed all the space they could get, forced the family to abandon the whole west wing of the manor. It was soon turned into an infirmary, where some of their previous employees worked as nurses or nurse's assistants.

They still had plenty of space, and Ianto quite enjoyed coming there during this time. Inside, people were seriously injured or even on their deathbed, but the place was still crawling with life. It was very different from when he grew up.

On one of these trips to visit his family, he met Lisa. She was different from the other nurses. It wasn't only her dark skin that distinguished her from the rest of them; she was also extremely professional and didn't flirt shamelessly with the soldiers. Not all the girls did that, but Ianto knew that they were trying to secure their future, knowing that when the war ended they would probably be back in domestic service, waiting on the rich and powerful.

Ianto never looked down on them for it. Most of these girls had nothing before the war. This was their chance to prove themselves, to prove that they were worth just as much as any soldier. They all knew it would be over one day; at least they all hoped it would.

Lisa was from a well-to-do family, and didn't really need to work for a living. Her dad was a surgeon and came to the manor when he was needed. Coming from old money in his home country, he'd been shipped to England to get his Doctor's degree, but he never returned.

Lisa was a trained nurse already before the war, and she spent a lot of time tutoring the new girls. She was skilled in teaching and she was also fluent in four different languages. Ianto was overwhelmed by her beauty, and started to spend time in the infirmary to help out with different tasks.

He didn't really have much experience in courtship, and felt totally helpless when he tried to get Lisa's attention. Not that he was a virgin; he had been out and about in the city, but he'd never met a girl that he would even consider taking home to his family.

It took six months before he finally dared to ask her on a date, and another year went by before he told uncle Ed about his love for the girl and that he wanted to marry her. It was a highly inappropriate connection, but Edward and his wife condoned it. Ianto's mother was more reluctant to let her son marry a girl without a pedigree, so Edward's support was crucial. When they received the sad news about his mission, Ianto thought that his future happiness was doomed as well.

Surprisingly enough, his mother changed her view on it and with Lisa's father's approval, he finally proposed to the girl.

When the war ended, Lisa went to work at a hospital in the city. The infirmary was still in service, but there were only a few soldiers left, and the nursing staff got cut down to the bare minimum.

A few of the men in there were just waiting for the angel of death, while most of the others were American soldiers who needed to be well enough to get shipped back to their home country.

Arranging a wedding could be exactly what they needed to get their spirit up, but Mary kept postponing it. Ianto was confident that it was because she had second thoughts about Lisa, and wanted to make sure that the family wouldn't lose face.

Lisa and Ianto didn't mind waiting. They had already dived into things that should have been reserved for married life. They could have gone ahead and tied the knot on their own, but decided to wait for their families' support.

Eventually, Mary came around, and it was decided that the wedding would be in June next year.


	2. Captain Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based Tim on the character in the TV episode "Captain Jack Harkness", but I made him American. The explanation is simple, and does not affect the story as a whole. I could of course have created a completely original character, but I loved that episode, and decided to add the reference.

Ianto didn't want to go to the manor much after the war was over, but he had to please his parents occasionally. He would never inherit the place anyway, so pretending to be the heir didn't suit him one bit.

His cousin Philip wasn't old enough to represent the family, and Ianto's father wasn't of well enough breeding to serve as the Lord of the manor.

When his uncle - the real Lord - got shot down over Germany in 1943, Ianto's father had to step up and take care of business, but he was never really in charge. Until Uncle Edward's son was of age, Ianto had to show up whenever there was a party or some other important function at the manor.

The west wing was still more or less an infirmary. During the war they had to take in injured soldiers, and a few of them were still there. Ianto had no problems with that. He couldn't understand why it was necessary for one family to have that much space, so he had always supported the military's takeover.

Instead of lounging around at the family home, as many as his peers did after college, Ianto had followed in his father's footsteps. Going into banking had been an adventure. Ianto had proved himself, and was proud of his accomplishments.

This weekend they were expecting company. Ianto didn't even know what kind of party this was, but he was a good son, so he showed up.

-o-o-o-

Captain Jack Harkness came to check on one of the soldiers in the infirmary. It was a young amputee, just waiting to be well enough to be sent home. The rehabilitation had taken it's time, but he was in good spirit at the moment. The few nurses that were left, enjoyed working with him, and they sometimes fought over who were going to take care of him.

When Jack came in and walked towards his bed, the young boy got startled. He'd seen this man before, but he couldn't for his life remember when. When the man got closer it came back to him. There was a dance in Cardiff sometime in 1941 where this man and an asian woman had appeared out of nowhere. After Tim had helped the female with some calculations, the two of them had disappeared just as mysteriously.

The evening was kind of blurry in his mind, as if someone had thrown a veil over the memory, but he remembered the face. "Captain Harper?" He wasn't sure, but that name came to his mind for some reason.

The man stopped by his bed and cocked his head. "Uh? No, I'm Captain Harkness, Jack. I'm here to make sure you get proper care." He sat down on the bed and pushed a stray hair away from his forehead. "We have never met before."

Tim stared at the man and scooted backwards a little. "Jack Harkness was my captain. He died in 41, and you look nothing like him. I remember you, you're… James Harper."

The man looked completely puzzled for a second, but then he managed to compose himself. "Oh, right...eh, James Harper, yeah, you're right, but I'm under cover. Can you please keep this between the two of us?"

There was something odd about the man, but for some reason Tim decided to trust him even if he didn't seem to remember that they'd actually met before. "Sure," he said a little hesitantly, "but don't you remember me?"

The man shook his head and apologized. "Sorry. I meet so many people. I'm truly sorry." He twisted his hands. "I'm here to take you home, but I've learned that you won't be ready for another four to six weeks at best, in the meantime I need you to keep my secret. Can you do that?"

Going home was what he craved the most, and if he had to depend on this person to make it happen, he was so ready to keep any secret. "I will, as long as you can get me out of here eventually."

James, or Jack, or whatever he chose to call himself got up from the bed. "I'll be back soon. Don't tell them anything, uh, if, um, call me Jack. If Jack Harkness was your captain, pretend I'm him. It'll make everything easier."

Tim found this extremely odd, but he decided to comply. "I do not understand, but I'm willing to do that as long as I get an explanation eventually."

Jack nodded and smiled to him. "When we're out of here I'll tell you everything I know. At the moment you only have to concentrate on getting out of that bed."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The boy was an extremely good navigator, and had also showed exceptional skills in calculations, so Torchwood was eager to get him to join. That he was missing a leg didn't matter, and their headquarters was currently in the process of being made wheelchair accessible.

The first conversation he had with the boy went completely awry, and Jack was unable to understand half of it. Time travel had made him aware of the fact that he could accidentally meet someone that had seen the future him, but it had been a while since he'd been able to travel through time.

That he'd bumped into a guy that actually knew the real Captain Harkness was never in the plans either, and he cursed silently to himself for the intelligence the team had provided him with; technically, the lack thereof. He had no idea who James Harper was either, but guessed that at some point in the future, he would have to use that pseudonym for some reason.

-o-o-o-o-

Ianto went straight for the bar. If he was going to spend a weekend here, he needed to be somewhat intoxicated. Even if his dad was supposedly running the house, it was really a cooperative effort between his mother and his aunt.

The two women had finally become friends, and the household showed clear evidence of being run by females.

It wasn't really a problem for Ianto per se; he wasn't there so much nowadays anyway, but it was evident that the servants knew who was in charge.

Their main focus at the moment was to find a wife for Philip. He was turning eighteen soon, and would be the Lord of the manor shortly. Their butler, Albert had already explained to Ianto that the party tomorrow was for the young cousin.

They had invited every young girl that could be an eligible match for him, and they wanted Ianto to help him pick. Philip was just as eager. He'd been cooped up at the boarding school for years and wanted nothing else than a nice girl to marry and do 'nasty' things with.

If he'd dared, Ianto would have taken Philip to the city and shown him that it was perfectly possible to do the nasty without getting married, but he knew that Mary and Dorothy would never condone such a thing.

As he was pouring a good inch of whiskey into his glass, he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him. "Can I have one, please." He turned around somewhat startled and saw a strange looking character behind him. What really made the guy look out of place was that big military style coat he was wearing. Other than that, he seemed quite normal except for the distinct American accent.

"Sorry. I'm Jack, uh, Captain Jack Harkness. Your aunt invited me to stay." The man reached his hand out and Ianto took it a little hesitantly. "Who? Sorry. I'm Ianto Jones. Who did you say you were?"

The man took a sip from the drink Ianto handed him, as he under his lashes gave Ianto a once-over. "You can call me Jack, I'm not too fond of titles. What can I call you?" He walked back to the chair and slumped down. Ianto was slightly taken aback by this behavior, and got a little tongue-tied for a second or two. "Uh, I guess...you can call me Mr Jones for the time being."

The Captain chuckled a little and lifted his glass as if he was toasting. "So, Mr Jones, are you the prodigal son, the one who chose to live it up in the city instead of lazing about in the countryside?"

What a nerve. Ianto wondered how this man had been allowed into the house with his rude comments. "You could say that, Sir, but I would still appreciate some respect."

Jack looked down for a moment before he met Ianto's eyes again. "I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with the proper conversational structure of British Aristocracy. I'm just a humble American soldier."

Ianto didn't get a chance to comment before the door swung open and his aunt entered the room. Dorothy greeted Ianto with a smile. "You're here already? We didn't expect you until tomorrow." She turned to the Captain. "I'm sorry you had to wait. Your room is ready now. Harry will take your luggage."

Jack got up from his seat and took a bow. "No problem Ma'am. I've been enjoying the company of Mr Jones here, but it would be nice if I could freshen up a bit."

The two of them walked towards the door, and Ianto could have sworn he saw a blush on Dorothy's cheeks as she left the room with the man.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dinner had been awkward. Captain Jack was both loud and somewhat obnoxious during the meal, but for some odd reason the two ladies at the table seemed quite unfazed by it. Ianto himself was used to much stronger language when he frequented the bars in the city, but this was not a bar in the city.

"Did you settle in nicely?" Mr Jones Sr was a man of few words and had hardly uttered a syllable so far. "I hope Harry didn't embarrass himself, he's pretty fresh as a footman."

Jack shrugged a little and shook his head. "I wouldn't know. I have no idea how he was supposed to behave, but I do not think he embarrassed himself, no." He panned the table. "So he's a new hire, then?"

Aunt Dorothy chuckled a little. "No, no. He's been here all his life, but he has not been working in the house before." She looked down for a second. "We are just trying him out. He was showing excellent skills helping out in the infirmary during the war."

It was silent around the table for a few moments before the Captain again spoke. "Oh, so he worked in the infirmary. Why wasn't he drafted?" Jack's question sounded innocent enough, but Ianto noticed that both his mom and his aunt seemed to get a little uncomfortable. He himself was also curious to know. He'd seen the boy - or rather the young man - around on the estate, but even if they were friends when they were kids, Ianto hadn't had anything to do with him since then. It was kind of strange that Harry never joined the armed forces, but he had never really questioned it before.

Mr Jones cleared his throat, but then he fell silent again. Captain Harkness was staring at him before he switched his gaze towards Dorothy and Mary. "Well… Is it bad?" Ianto noticed that both his mom and his aunt looked rather intimidated, but then his father sighed heavily. "He was, um, he was drafted, but they didn't just take anybody. He got dismissed. We kept him here because he is a good worker."

Another awkward silence followed. "It's... we don't talk about it."

Again, Jack stared at them. "Really? You are making me very curious. He seems like a bright young man, and also handsome and strong. I can't even imagine…"

Ianto's father shook his head and took a big sip of his drink. "To put it this way… They probably didn't want him to corrupt the other soldiers with his deviant... ehrm, behavior." He lowered his voice as he leaned over towards the Captain. "If you don't want him to… We haven't had any complaints about him as long as he's been in our service, but if you prefer someone else to tend to your room, I can understand."

Ianto understood perfectly well what the problem was, and he wondered what the good Captain would say if he too realized the truth. To his surprise, the man chuckled a little. "Oh dear no. The boy behaved very professional, and there is no need to make a fuss about it for me." He put down his fork for a moment and wiped his mouth. "Technically, I don't need much help regardless, I'm not used to having servants."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto stayed up late to catch up with some work. His room was across the hall from their guest's and he noticed that for a man who was used to taking care of himself, Jack Harkness had surprisingly many chores for poor Harry. The boy ran up and down the stairs half a dozen times to tend to the Captain.

That big old coat had a couple of loose buttons, and Harry was asked to fix it. It could also need a bit of cleaning. The newly installed electric heater in the room didn't work properly, so Harry had to provide the man with an extra blanket.

Ianto never meant to eavesdrop, but with the door to his room open a crack, it was impossible to not overhear everything that went on. When Harry came up for the fifth or sixth time, it started to get a little ridiculous. Ianto was brought up with several dozens people in the family's service, but he never ever abused them like this. Captain Harkness was quite a character, but he didn't have to treat Harry like that.

As soon as Harry had left again, Ianto crossed the hall and knocked on the Captain's door. He was going to give the man a piece of his mind to protect Harry for the future. According to his aunt, the man was going to stay for more than a month.

"Come in." Jack sounded chipper, and as Ianto opened the door slowly he continued. "That was really quick, I'll be sure to relay to Lady Dorothy that you are doing an excellent job." He turned and looked somewhat surprised to see Ianto at the door. "Oh, sorry. I was expecting someone else."

Ianto's jaw dropped. Jack was so not appropriately dressed for company. It didn't prevent him from staring at the man for a few moments. That bare, tan torso was glistening with sweat; his trousers were unbuttoned, and Ianto wondered if he was about to undress right in front of him. "Ahem, uh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt, I…"

The Captain smiled and gestured for Ianto to enter. "No worries. I was about to turn in, but I can stay up a while longer." He pointed to the chair next to him.. " Sit please. Sorry about the outfit. Harry was getting me another towel, and then I'll get my shirt on. I've been doing my exercises."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door before Harry emerged with a small stack of towels. "Excuse me, Sir." He waited until Ianto had stepped out of the way before he entered and put the pile on the vanity. Jack grabbed one, and turned to Ianto. " You want a drink? Harry, will you…" Ianto lifted his hand to stop him. "Harry, please do not 'Sir' me, we were friends once. And also, you can go to bed now, the Captain will not need you anymore tonight."

Harry stared at Jack for a second before he turned to Ianto. "If you say so, S..uh. Certainly."

Ianto waved him off and looked at Mr Harkness. "They are not slaves, you know. If you want a drink, I can get it for you. I have a couple of bottles in my room."


	3. A surprise visit

Ianto felt drawn to the manor more often than usual. During the war he'd actually enjoyed it there. He had no skills in nursing, but he had helped out in the infirmary as a porter, or sometimes he'd only been there to try to raise the spirit of those who were stuck for an extended period of time. He got to spend time with Lisa, and at the same time he felt useful.

The soldiers seemed to enjoy his company. That he lived in the city and could provide them with fresher news than the papers, was one reason he got so popular among the boys. Another thing was that even if they got pampered by the girls, they sometimes needed some male company. Someone they could talk to about things that they didn't feel comfortable sharing with the nursing staff.

Those times were over now, and Lisa was residing in London with her parents. The few patients that were left were either those who were mostly unconscious, or the ones in strict rehabilitation programs. Being up and about meant that they could hang out with others in the same situation, and there was no need for male companionship outside their own little clique.

During his teenage years, and up until the war started, Ianto always tried to find reasons not to go to the manor, but now he could almost not wait for the weekend to come around so he could leave his desk.

He spent more than one evening a week with his fiancee, and the two of them also got time alone, but he never invited her with him to the manor.

It had a perfectly reasonable explanation. First of all, she didn't feel comfortable around Dorothy and Mary, and secondly, she was often called in for duty on both Saturdays and Sundays. Her livelihood didn't depend on this job, but she was very committed, and she was almost unable to say no if they asked.

Ianto worried a little about how it would be when they eventually got married. He was from a family where the wife wasn't meant to work, but he hadn't even dared to mention that to his girl yet.

This was the third weekend in a row that he'd left the city. When he was there for Philip's party, he did it because it was his duty, but a week ago, he'd just gone there for no reason whatsoever.

It was a quick visit. As soon as he arrived last Saturday, he'd learned that Captain Harkness was gone for the weekend, so he left pretty early on sunday morning.

He knew that the man would be back sometime during the week, so he decided to go early next Friday and take some work with him. His father always did that ever since Ianto was a little boy, because he wanted to spend as much time as possible with the family. When Ianto proposed that they should go together, John was excited.

The Captain brought much needed life to the manor. He was outspoken and funny, and even if he had no clue about proper etiquette, he was surprisingly enjoyable to be around. Ianto didn't even try to rationalize. He really liked the man's company, and he was eager to hear more of his somewhat tall tales.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

There had been some serious rift-activity, and Jack had to go and help check it out. He was hoping it was the Doctor fueling up, but it turned out to be just a glitch in the apparatus.

It was nice though, to be back with his peers, but he knew he had to stay on the current case a little longer.

Being at the manor-house was mostly a drag. He spent as much time as possible with Tim to coax him in the right direction. There wasn't much he could share with the lad at this point, but as long as he could get the guy to trust him unconditionally, there was still time to convince him to join the team.

In his free time, he flirted shamelessly with the nurses and also with ladies of the house, and they all seemed quite enticed by him, but not to the point of giving in to his seduction.

The dry spell took a toll, and he was eager to find a release. He knew that the footman, or whatever they called him, had thrown more than one glance in his direction, but he was a servant, and he was also very young. At twenty-two he was technically not a boy anymore, but still.

Knowing that the guy was attracted to men, made an advance very tempting, but Jack didn't know the first thing about how to approach this in a subtle manner.

Anywhere else, it would be easier, but in this house there were strict rules on how to behave. Spending time with the help was frowned upon, so he couldn't just invite the guy for a drink. Well, he could of course do that, but he'd put the boy's employment in jeopardy.

When he came back to the house after the futile attempt to find the Doctor, Jack spent as much time as possible with Tim or he stayed alone in his room to avoid any temptations.

He had to have dinner with the ladies, but other than that he kept away from them. He also remembered vividly the little speech Mr Jones Jr had given him, so he didn't call for Harry unless he really needed help with something.

Jack withdrew to his room early that Thursday evening to go through some files the team had provided him with. He hadn't seen Harry all day, and he couldn't come up with one good reason to call for him.

When he told the Lady of the house that he had work to do, she had provided him with a bottle of gin, and told him that he would not be disturbed.

He got somewhat surprised when he heard a knock on his door, and he wondered if something had happened that made them 'disturb' him anyway.

"Come!" Jack was quite bored already, and welcomed the little sidetrack.

Harry came through the door and straightened himself up. "Sir, I wonder… If I can be so bold… Did I do anything to offend you. If so, I'm sorry."

Jack looked at the guy puzzled. "Eh, no… why?" He had no idea what this was all about, and tried to come up with a reason for the boy's question. Harry looked down for a second and sighed. "I'm here to tend to your needs, and yet you haven't called for me for two days. I just… please Sir, I need this job. If I did anything wrong…"

He hadn't actually looked at the guy before; not really. The uniform he was wearing didn't give him justice, and as Jack sat there and stared at him, he realized that he was looking at an extremely handsome young man. "My every need? I think not." He shook his head. He shouldn't even try to go there.

Harry slumped his head down again before he took a deep breath. "Your every need, Sir." After second of hesitation, he continued. "I can help you dress, or undress if you wish. I'm here for you Sir."

If that wasn't a come-on, nothing was. Jack took a moment before he made a decision. "I'm fine for now, and you didn't do anything wrong. Tomorrow I would like to take a bath, can you help me with that?" He paused for a second. "Tomorrow night, right?"

The footman took a bow and walked backwards towards the door. "Yes, Sir. I can do that, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Ianto and his father arrived, the house was extremely still. They knew they'd missed supper, but this was a bit unusual.

Turned out that Philip was invited to a friend for the weekend. The mother of this friend was also an American import and a close acquaintance of Dorothy, so she'd been invited as well.

Mary greeted them, and offered to to call for someone to bring them a light meal.

Ianto opted to take it in his room, and as he left he casually threw out the question he was curious to know the answer to. "The Captain, is he here?"

Mary nodded as she pulled a string to call for the butler. "He is taking a bath. In his room."

Most of the rooms were equipped with running water, and some of them even had their own bathroom. Not so with Mr Harkness' room. Ianto knew that it was quite a challenge to bring enough water for a bath, and he couldn't understand why the man chose to do it this way. He could easily have asked to use one of the other bathrooms.

Ianto pushed the thought away and decided to go to his room to catch up with some work.

He couldn't quite concentrate, so when a maid brought him his meal, he gave up. He didn't eat much; he wanted to check on the Captain before it became too late to drop in for a visit.

A little more than an hour after he arrived at the manor, Ianto found himself outside the Captain's room. The bath should be over by now. He knocked gently, and waited an appropriate amount of time before he slowly opened the door.

Ianto didn't know why he didn't withdraw immediately, because the scene in front of him was quite shocking.

Jack was sitting in one of those old big tubs in the middle of the floor. Harry was standing behind him, busy shampooing his hair. That was not the shocking part. Not only was Harry shirtless, but Jack had his arm stretched behind his head and it was firmly wrapped around Harry's waist.

It took only a second before Harry hurried to scoot backwards. Jack looked up abruptly and stared at Ianto for a moment, but then he had the decency to look away again.

Harry was practically crawling along the wall. Ianto watched him as he bent down quickly and picked up his clothes before he darted out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

This was a total mess. Not only could he himself be thrown out of the house, but that wouldn't be the biggest problem. He had also put Harry's livelihood in jeopardy. Jack cursed silently to himself before he looked up at Ianto Jones again. The guy was still standing in the same spot, just staring at him.

Jack had not expected a visitor at this hour; nobody except Harry or the chambermaid ever came to his room, and he didn't even know that Mr Jones was going to be there this weekend. It was time for some damage control, but it wasn't easy to come up with anything sane in his current situation.

Knowing that his hair was full of soap, he ducked down into the water to rinse it off somewhat before he stood up and got out of the tub. Mr Jones was still staring, and Jack wondered if the guy was going to have a heart attack or something.

"This is not what it looks like." Jack could see that Ianto got startled, but the guy still didn't move. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but I assure you that Harry didn't do anything wrong."

Only a couple of minutes had passed since Harry left, but it felt like much longer. It could look like Mr Jones was about to say something, but not a word came out. In all his naked glory, Jack took a step forward before he reached for one of the towels on the bed.

He could see that Ianto followed his movements, and it started to get a little awkward. With the towel wrapped around his waist, Jack moved closer as he tried to meet the guy's eyes. "Please Mr Jones, you have to say something."

Finally he got a reaction. Ianto took a few steps backwards and crashed into the door before he rubbed his forehead vigorously. "I won't say… I won't tell anybody, but stay away from Harry. He doesn't need this."

Jack sighed and looked down for a moment. "You worry about him? That's commendable, but he is a man, and he… forget it. I won't…" He looked at Ianto again. The words that came out next was never planned, and could possibly make the whole situation much worse. "Maybe you're just jealous. I'm sorry, I know he was your friend in the past, and maybe…"

Ianto cut him off. "I have never, ever thought of Harry in that way. I didn't even know that he…" A pink hue started to emerge on the guy's cheeks, and Jack realized that he suddenly had the upper hand. With a grin he threw the towel down and picked up his pants. "Oh, so you weren't jealous of me? I'll keep that in mind."


	4. A promise

As soon as he was back in his room, Ianto grabbed a bottle from his desk and poured a generous amount from it in a glass. He didn't even care what he was drinking, he just needed to numb himself fast.

Captain Harkness' laughter was still ringing in his ears, and he wondered if he should in fact report the incident. Harry would of course be dismissed on the spot, and he would possibly not even be allowed to work in the stables. The Captain would be nicely asked to leave the premises, but he would go on living happily ever after without any real repercussions.

Ianto downed the drink and hurried to pour another. What he'd looked at as an adventurous weekend had turned sour before it had even started. He'd looked forward to meet Jack when he arrived, but all this had made it impossible for him to dare to face the man again.

That the Captain had the nerve to imply that Ianto was jealous, was haunting him somewhat. "Jealous, pfft." Ianto dismissed the notion and tried to grab on to the anger that was tickling his consciousness. He was just angry because the man had showed so little respect for both him and Harry.

When he after another drink was unable to hold on to this anger, he realized that the feeling that bothered him was shame. Shame because he couldn't stop thinking about Jack's naked body. The sight had had stirred up some well hidden feelings from when he was in boarding school.

People seemed to believe that the boys at these schools were behaving according to their upbringing, and that nothing inappropriate happened behind closed doors. For some it wasn't too far from the truth, but there were also things going on that nobody talked about.

Ianto had been shy and withdrawn when he came there, and it had taken time for him to make friends. Making a wrong move towards any of the boys could jeopardize or even destroy the fragile friendships he'd actually managed to build.

A few of the boys were fondling each other a little more than could be explained with rough-housing, and Ianto rarely participated in the friendly fights that occurred ever so often. because he had soon learned that he was enjoying it a little too much.

Those times were long gone, and he had never met anybody that had stirred up these feelings again. Not until Captain Jack Harkness entered the scene, anyway. He knew he liked the man, but he had been totally unaware about the forbidden sexual tension that emerged when he walked into his room.

Ianto did his best to drown it in cognac, and he was quite buzzed when he, a half hour later, heard some noises from the hall. He quickly realized that he again had been a little sloppy when he closed the door, and could see that it was slightly ajar. He was too drunk at this point to even care, but he was curious though, so he held his breath for a moment to try to make out what was going on.

He was pretty sure he could hear Jack whispering, but he couldn't for his life make out who the other voice belonged to.

A few moment's later he knew. "Yes, Sir. I understand, Sir." Harry didn't raise his voice much, but enough for Ianto to understand who Jack was talking to.

So after all this, the Captain had still called for him. Ianto wanted to go out there and give the guy a piece of his mind, but as he tried to get up, he stumbled in his own feet and fell flat on his face.

The conversation out there stopped abruptly, and seconds later he could hear a door slam shut.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack knew he'd pushed the envelope when the mention of jealousy slipped out of his mouth, but he'd seen it in the guy's eyes. He wasn't born yesterday, and could easily spot when someone was interested in him in other ways than for conversation.

He still knew it was the wrong move, but he couldn't help himself.

He wasn't really interested in getting it on with Harry, but the boy had offered, and it wasn't so easy to say no. When Ianto Jones came into the picture, Jack knew that this man was more in his league.

Jack hadn't really thought about him in that way when they met two weeks ago, but at that point he'd been too busy trying to cope with the weird rules of the house.

When he came there, he had been expecting to get a bed in the infirmary and hang with the injured soldiers, but the American-born Lady of the house had insisted that he should get his own room at the manor.

Knowing a thing or two about etiquette didn't really fly in this environment. He had frequently discovered that his own laidback demeanor didn't quite work with the British Aristocracy.

Lady Dorothy was very forgiving, but it didn't help so much. Mary was really the one in charge, and he did his best to live up to her standards.

The party they arranged for the heir, Philip, had been nice, but Jack had withdrawn to his room early so he wouldn't make a fool of himself. The only time he had spent with Ianto was when the two of them had a quick nightcap the evening before the party and then when they were all gathered together after supper on sunday.

He knew already then that the guy enjoyed his company, but there was never any indication that he was even remotely interested on any other level.

Ianto had promised not to tell what happened this evening, but Jack wasn't quite sure if he believed that. The guy was probably both scared and intimidated, and could easily decide to go to the Lady of the house and share the gritty truth with her.

Jack was on his way to go and apologize again, when he met Harry in the hall. The boy looked scared when he approached, and Jack did his best to calm him. "I will make sure that this will not be an issue." He patted the guy's shoulder and had to look away for a second. "I don't think it is wise for you to ever come to my room again. I'm sorry, but for your own sake it is for the best."

He'd already noticed that the door to Ianto's room was slightly ajar, so he kept his voice down and nodded towards it so Harry would understand to keep it quiet also.

"I'm so, so sorry, and I wish you the best, but this…" He waved his hand between them. "this is never going to happen."

Harry stared down at the floor for a second before he straightened himself up. "Yes, Sir. I understand, Sir." The two of them looked at each other for a moment, when they heard a commotion from Ianto's room. After exchanging a quick glance Harry hurried down the hall, and Jack went back to his room.

A few minutes later, Ianto came crashing in. He was seriously intoxicated, but he managed to stay on his feet for a moment. "What is it with you? You couldn't keep your hands of the guy for more than a half hour. You're sick. You're sick."

Jack managed to catch him when he fell forward, but he had to take a few steps back. "I would like to remind you that Harry is a man, and he's perfectly capable of making his own decisions."

It was probably not the right words. Ianto did his best to get back on his feet, but then he just seemed to give up. "He can lose his job. You're selfish and…"

With all the strength he had, Jack managed to maneuver the guy over to the bed and sat him down. "Ianto… sorry, Mr Jones, I told him not to come here anymore. I don't know what to tell your mother, but I will do my best to make sure that he will never be punished for this. I hope you understand that Harry never did anything wrong."

Ianto lifted his head and took a deep breath. "I know. You used him for your own pleasure. He didn't deserve that."

Jack was still holding on to the guy and it seemed to be a good thing, because Ianto almost slipped off the bed when he tried to stand up.

"I know. Let's not talk about it anymore. He will never come here again." Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto and did his best to keep the guy on his feet. "I can walk you back to your room. I think you need to go to bed."

For a short period of time they just stood there, but then Ianto leaned forward and planted a kiss on Jack's cheek. "Do that. Take me to bed. I need to go to bed. I need you to take me there."

Jack was very surprised by the boldness that Ianto suddenly showed, but he didn't pursue it. He just walked him across the hall and sat him down on the bed. Then he started to undress him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto was too intoxicated to even care, but he knew that whatever the guy did he'd be fine with. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted Jack there.

When he was stripped down to his underwear, he got tucked in, but that wasn't remotely satisfying. "Stay!" He tried to grab on to the guy, but his hands slipped. "Stay with me, please."

He felt a hand on his chest, and he was about to grab it when it vanished. "Ianto, sweet innocent Ianto. I could do things to you that would make you beg for more, but you're drunk now, and I would want you to remember." Jack's voice was like music to his ears, but he didn't like the tune at the moment.

He tried to catch Jack's eyes but his vision was too blurred. "I don't care, I'm… I just.." He gave up. There was no sense in this. Ianto didn't even know what he wanted from the guy, so he relaxed onto the pillow and drew his breath. "Whatever you say."

It was quiet for for a long time, and Ianto was about to fall asleep when Jack stroke his cheek. "Tomorrow night we can talk. I'll come to your room, but you have to promise me that you'll be sober."

Ianto was ready to promise anything. "Sure. I'll be here."


	5. Giving in

Being at breakfast that morning was horrible. Ianto remembered more from the previous night than he wanted to, so sitting across the table from the Captain was almost painful.

Jack himself was chipper as usual, and didn't show any signs of embarrassment. When Jack withdrew himself to go to the infirmary, Ianto finally felt that he could relax for a moment. He knew that his memory was clouded by all the alcohol that he'd ingested last night, but part of it he remembered too vividly.

There was possibly a sloppy kiss involved, but what really bothered him was what he had said to the man. Had he really begged him to stay, or was that just a figment of his own imagination? Ianto hoped so. He hoped that he'd never said those words out loud, but didn't really count on it.

Back in his room, he tried to finish the work he'd brought with him, but it was hard to concentrate. He didn't know if the Captain would make good on his promise to come by in the evening, and Ianto wasn't even sure if he was going to let him in. It was still hours away, so he tried not to think about it too much.

As he sat there, going through the paperwork, he remembered why he really didn't like to be here in the first place. It was extremely boring at the manor. He couldn't even imagine what his mom and his aunt were doing all day to pass the time.

He could always go and spend time with his father, but the two of them pretty much always talked about work. A game of Bridge could be possible, but with both Philip and Dorothy gone, they would have to invite Mr Harkness to play, and Ianto didn't know if he could spend an extended period of time with the man at this moment. If his cousin had been there, the two of them could have taken the horses out and gone for a ride, or just lounge around talking about the girls Philip had been introduced to lately.

Two hours later, he was finally done with his work and decided to go downstairs. If Jack was there, he just had to deal with it, because he couldn't handle one more minute of seclusion.

It turned out that he had nothing to worry about. The Captain had asked to borrow a car to pick up a wheelchair for the soldier he was there to take care of. Ianto hadn't paid much attention to the actual reason for Jack being there, but he remembered being told that one of the patients had been in the Captain's squad during the war, and that he was still not well enough to be shipped back to America.

Slightly disappointed, but also somewhat relieved, Ianto decided to take a trip to the infirmary to see if he could help out with anything.

The few nurses that were left remembered him well, and they were eager to hear news about their former colleague, Lisa. Ianto really enjoyed talking to them about his life in London, and also about his and Lisa's plans for the future. He had helped them remove some empty beds, and he also spent some time with a few of the soldiers, talking about their rehabilitation. Before he knew it, several hours had passed.

After that, he shared a light meal with his parents. They were going to have a late supper that day because Captain Harkness had mentioned that he could possibly be gone for a good while. Since it was only the four of them, Mary wanted to wait until he was back.

Ianto was fine with that. The day had turned out to be really nice so far, and he decided that some alone time would serve him well right now.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack was on his way back to the manor after being gone for almost eight hours. The wheelchair was ready when he came to pick it up, but he didn't want to go back there too soon.

Being at the manor was like having a vacation with nothing to do. There were no sights nearby, and there wasn't even as much as a pub within walking distance. He could of course come and go as he pleased, but it wasn't always easy to have to explain himself to the Lady of the house.

He often regretted taking her offer to stay there. He should have turned it down and found a room in the village instead. If he'd done that, he would have needed a car to go back and forth, but Torchwood could have provided him with one. At least he wouldn't have to be bored out of his mind.

He also wouldn't have been tempted by Harry the footman, and a lot of troubles could have been avoided.

Then again, he wouldn't have met Ianto. Jack tried to push the thoughts of the man away. Getting attached to anybody was definitely not in his plans, but he knew that this guy had gotten under his skin for some reason.

When he first realized that Ianto was attracted to him, Jack had been pleasantly surprised, but when he had the chance to actually get it on with him, he couldn't do it because it didn't feel right to take advantage of him in his drunken state. In any other time or place Jack wouldn't have cared, but Ianto was different.

It had been a tough realization to deal with. Jack had had a long life, and he was always careful when he met someone interesting, because he knew that he could never have lifelong relationship with anybody. Sooner or later they would die, and he'd be left with the pain. Jack was not into pain. Not for himself anyway.

As he was driving back, he knew that it would be impossible to stay away from Mr Jones. If the man really wanted him, he would go for it. It was a scary thought, but maybe it could work for a while. Maybe he could for once just try to be happy, and then deal with the consequences later.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Supper had been nice. The Captain had managed to behave like a proper British gentleman, and the conversation at the table didn't even raise an eyebrow. Ianto had been really worried when they sat down, but there was clearly nothing to worry about..

After they were done, his father invited Ianto and the Captain into his study for cigars and cognac. His mother was left alone, but for her, it would have been highly inappropriate to join them.

They didn't really talk much. A few words were uttered, but for the most part, they sat there in silence and enjoyed their drinks. It wasn't awkward at all, just relaxing. After a half hour, Ianto got up and was about to pour himself another, when his father decided to call it a night. "Just stay here if you want. I'm turning in." John covered up a yawn as he exited quite abruptly.

Ianto tensed up a little when he realized he and Jack suddenly were alone in the room. He was holding the carafe in his hand, and wondered if he should get out of there as well when Jack came up behind him. Ianto held his breath for a moment. "I was hoping you would stay sober tonight." The man was standing so close that Ianto could feel the heat from his breath on his neck.

The tension he'd felt increased significantly, and he was unable to move. "I told you that I want you to remember." Jack's lips were so close to Ianto's cheek that if he were to cock his head slightly to the side, they would touch his skin. He sighed heavily and put the bottle down. Hiding his feelings from others was easy; he was brought up to hide almost any emotion, but hiding them from himself was impossible.

He scooted away and moved towards the door. Before he left he turned around and looked at the Captain. "I'm going to go to my room now. Have another drink if you want."

He had never taken the stairs so fast before. He rushed into his room and slumped down on a chair before he covered his face with his hands. He sat there for a little while just bracing himself. He expected to hear a knock on his door shortly, but he was still not sure if he would let the man in.

It took a half hour before anything happened, and he was starting to think that Jack would never show up. He should have been relieved, but the realization saddened him instead, so when the knock finally came, he felt extremely happy.

The thought of not letting Jack in had left him completely, and he hurried to open the door. "Welcome. Please sit." He really wanted to touch the guy, but instead he waved towards one of the chairs as he moved to the side. Jack took a few steps forward before he turned abruptly right in front of him.

Suddenly Ianto had a hand on his cheek and before he knew it, Jack's lips were touching his. It was a quick peck, but it threw Ianto off for a moment, and involuntarily he jerked his head back.

Jack looked a little surprised, but then he moved his hand to the back of Ianto's head as he wrapped his other arm around his waist. When he leaned in for another kiss, Ianto couldn't easily move away, but he really didn't want to either. There was a slight hesitation where their lips touched briefly before they both just went for it.

Thinking was not an option at the moment. Ianto had no idea what to do anyway, so he just acted on instinct, but he was pretty sure that Jack was on top of it. Clothes got slowly peeled off layer by layer, and soon skin was touching skin. Not that there hadn't been touching of bare flesh through the whole session, but eventually there wasn't as much as a scrap of fabric between them.

Ianto could feel Jack's eager hands caress his body, and he suspected that the guy wasn't used to going this slow. He was grateful though, because he didn't want this to be a rushed and sordid affair.

It was probably going to be a one-time thing, and that was another reason why Ianto wanted it to last as long as possible.

Nimble fingers were roaming over every inch of his body. Every mole or other small imperfections got some extra attention, before Jack concentrated on more vital parts.

For Ianto, there wasn't much else to do than to hang on. He was a little too overwhelmed to participate, but it didn't seem to be an issue regardless.

Jack's treatment made Ianto eventually explode into pleasure, and then it felt like he was going to pass out, so he clung to the man for dear life.

Jack kept stroking his back and after a few minutes, he whispered something into his ear. Ianto was unable to understand a word at the moment, so he just nuzzled his face into the Captain's chest and shook his head.

After another couple of minutes, Jack tried again. "I should probably go." He lifted Ianto's head and kissed him gently on the lips. "I'll find something to wipe you off with."

His mind was a jumbled mess, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he could not let Jack go now. "No. Please stay. Just stay for a little while longer."


	6. A futile escape

Ianto was alone in his room when he woke up early the next morning. He knew he needed a bath, but he decided to stay in bed for a little while longer. Even if he had been a little out of it last night, he remembered everything very vividly. Every caress, every little touch was so real that he could almost still feel Jack's hands on him.

They didn't fuck. There had not even been an attempt on any penetration, although he had been touched back there. He also knew that he had had a pair of lips wrapped around his penis sometime during the session last night.

Ianto had no idea if Jack even got a release, and he felt a little embarrassed about that. The man had taken him on a pleasure ride of a lifetime, and Ianto hadn't done a thing to reciprocate.

Calling for someone to help him with his wardrobe was out of the question. He didn't want any of the employees to know what had happened during the night, so after finally getting out of bed, he spent some time gathering the clothes that were spread around the room.

Not being very skilled in cleaning, he had no idea what to do with the bedsheets. They weren't that soiled, but he knew that the chambermaid would definitely discover the stains.

Giving it another thought, he realized that he was only being paranoid. He'd relieved himself many times alone in his bed, and he had never even considered what anyone would think of it.

He tried to make sure that there weren't any traces of the company he kept last night before he decided to wash himself and then get some breakfast.

It was early Sunday morning, and nobody else was up yet. Ianto entered the small dining room to see if there was any food ready. A parlor maid was just done setting the table when he came in, but she hurried to excuse herself and vanished before he even got a chance to say anything.

A few minutes later, the first footman came in and greeted him. Peter had been in the family's service for decades, and Ianto knew him well. "Is there any food ready, I'm starving." He threw a peek at the clock on the wall. "I know it's early, but I really don't want to wait."

Peter smiled and nodded. "Of course, Sir. And if you don't mind, I will send Harry up with your food. Albert needs me in his office." The Butler was an old man, and Peter had taken over more and more of the man's responsibilities. Everybody knew that Peter would be their next butler when Albert was unable to do the job anymore, and that the two men spent a lot of time together for the purpose of tutoring Peter for the position.

Meeting Harry again could be awkward, but Ianto couldn't really come up with a good reason to turn down the request. "That will be fine."

When Harry came in a little while later, he really tried to look unfazed, but Ianto noticed that he had a hard time meeting his eyes. He sat the tray down and poured tea into a cup before he took a few steps back. "Will that be all, Sir?"

Ianto shook his head before he looked up. "Harry, please. I told you that you don't have to be so formal with me." He gave him a quick smile. "And you don't have to worry about anything. I will not reveal what happened."

He could hear that Harry emitted a sigh of relief before he straightened himself up. "Thank you, Sir. I mean, thank you."

As soon as he had left, Ianto started thinking about the past. Back when he was a young boy and used to play with Harry around the estate. He was five years older than the lad, and could easily outrun him. In the friendly fights they had, Ianto always won because he was a few sizes bigger.

That would be impossible now. Harry was really fit, and Ianto almost felt a little flabby in comparison. He knew he wasn't fat, but sitting in an office all day didn't help. He tried to do exercises ever so often, but it wasn't easy to make a habit out of it.

He could easily understand that the Captain was attracted to the guy, but acting on it was not appropriate behavior. That he himself had done unspeakable things with Jack, was a very different story. Even if it was both illegal and possibly a mortal sin, the two of them were consenting adults. Harry was hired help and should not be used in that way.

Ianto decided that what had happened wasn't so bad. He got his curiosity stilled, and from now on he could live happily ever after without having to wonder about it. He had a nice memory to look back on, and he would never have to do anything like it again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

That was a bad move. Jack was practically beating himself up when he came back to his room in the middle of the night. He'd thought he could stay on top of it and just get a little action, but the encounter with Ianto Jones had left him utterly confused.

He had wanted so much more than what he got, but for some reason he couldn't go through with it. It was perfectly clear that Ianto had enjoyed it, and Jack knew that he could have gone further, but something held him back.

It wasn't easy falling asleep, and he lied there twisting and turning for hours before he eventually got some shuteye. When he woke up after the troubling night, it was almost noon and he knew he'd missed breakfast.

That wasn't so bad, he didn't really have an appetite at the moment. The memory of Ianto panting under his treatment was haunting him somewhat, and he decided to try to stay away from the guy.

It wouldn't be so hard. Both father and son would probably leave the manor sometime during the day, and the likelihood of Ianto coming back before Jack left for good, was slim to nonexistent. Tim was improving daily and it wouldn't take so long before the young man was ready to leave.

Every fiber of his being protested when he slipped out of the house to avoid having to say goodbye. Ianto was probably not very eager to see him either. Their encounter was not something a man in his position would want to be reminded about.

He went straight to the infirmary and after getting help from one of the nurses, he wheeled Tim outside. Jack had decided to take the guy out for a walk, and start explaining a thing or two about his clandestine mission. It was quite chilly so he had to go back to get a blanket for the guy before they took off.

The estate was big, and there were nice paths through the garden where it was easy to push the wheelchair. At the end of a trail there was a small pavillion where they could get a little cover from the light, but rather cold breeze.

He had sweet-talked one of the nurses to get her to fetch him some food and drink, and he was now armed with a small flask with whiskey and a couple of sandwiches.

"Have you ever heard of Torchwood?" Jack decided to just dive into it. He took a small sip from the flask before he handed it to the young man. "Here. I guess they haven't given you anything stronger than coffee since you came here."

Tim looked a bit confused as he took the bottle. "Thank you, eh, Torchwood? No, but I feel that I should have." He shook his head a little before he lifted the bottle to his lips. "There is something… I don't know, but I… Should I know?"

Jack didn't know what kind of information his future self had provided Tim with a few years prior, but he decided to let it slide. Going into that would only create a whole new mess. "No. It's a secret operation, and we deal with threats to the human race."

It was quiet for a long time. Tim fiddled a little with the flask, and Jack wasn't sure if he'd said too much already. "Why are you telling me this?" The young man finally looked up. "I'm just a soldier, I should probably not be told too many secrets." He patted the thigh of his amputated leg. "I'm not even a soldier anymore."

The look on the young man's face was that of utter defeat, and Jack felt the need to make Tim think better about himself. "We want you on the team. We do not need your leg, we need your brain. If you're interested, I will tell you more."

He unwrapped one of the sandwiches and offered it to Tim. "It's a well paid job. It can be somewhat dangerous, but not even close to the danger you have been in during the last few years." That was not completely true, but working in the office wasn't that risky.

Tim swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment. "Does this mean that you're not here to take me home?" He turned to look at Jack briefly before he took the sandwich. "I really, really want to go home."

Jack patted the man's shoulder. "Of course I will take you home, but then… If you want it, we have a job for you." It took a moment before Tim spoke again. "I trust you Captain Harper… sorry Captain Harkness." Jack could see the disdain on Tim's face as he mentioned the name.

"I'm sorry I used that name, I didn't know that you knew the guy. James Harper is not my real name either, but I will explain this to you as well if you decide to come work with us."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto was ready to go, and was about to tell his parents when he met his father in the hall. John stopped and stared at him for a moment before he shook his head. "Are you leaving? You can't leave now. We took your car, remember. How am I going to get back?"

He and his father usually came in separate cars, but this weekend they had decided to go together and Ianto had totally forgot. "Can't someone take you? I should go." He threw his hands out and sighed. Staying any longer was not in his plans. He wanted to get away from Jack Harkness as soon as possible.

"That's just silly. Dorothy and Philip will be back for supper and they will be very disappointed if you leave now." His father shook his head and took the briefcase out of his hand. "Why are you in such a hurry? I always leave on Monday morning, and nobody will question it if you're in a little later tomorrow. Remember that I am you boss."

He knew he was defeated. Ianto reached his hand out for the briefcase and sighed heavily. "I will have to call Lisa and tell her that I won't be there for supper, though."

It wasn't his fault. He had no intentions to stay there for another night, but he couldn't just defy his own father.

Captain Harkness looked somewhat surprised to see him at the dinner table, but he didn't say anything.

Ianto tried to keep his eyes off the Captain during the meal, but it wasn't easy. Jack didn't as much as throw a glance in his direction, and it bothered him more that he wanted to admit. The two of them did in fact not exchange a word over supper, and when John invited the men to his study afterwards, Ianto excused himself and went to his room.

Going to bed at this hour was out of the question, but he couldn't be in the same room as the man. He had a couple of books on the nightstand and decided to just spend the evening reading until he was tired enough to pass out.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack lied on the bed and stared into the ceiling. He had not counted on Ianto staying for another night, and the urge to cross the hall and be with him was overwhelming. The only thing that held him back was the fact that the two of them hadn't exchanged as much as a word or even a glance during the whole evening. Jack was pretty sure it was because Ianto was both embarrassed and somewhat intimidated about the events of last night.

Nothing was going to happen between them again, and it saddened him. It was not in his nature to indulge in emotions like that, but he knew that the man had stirred something in him. The feeling bothered him greatly because he knew he had to forget about Ianto and move on with his life.

He would be gone in less than two weeks, and the likelihood of ever seeing anybody from this family again was very slim. He would spend some time in America with Tim, and then, if everything went according to plan, he'd be taking him back to the Torchwood headquarters.

By then, Ianto would be a distant memory. It would just be another one night stand to look back on with fondness. Jack was quite sure that Ianto looked at it the same way. He was engaged and would get married next year so for him, it was probably just an act to still his curiosity.

It wasn't easy to fall asleep. He'd slept in this morning and was not particularly tired at the moment. With a sigh, he reached into his underwear and stroked his own dick. With an image of Ianto panting out his name, he got hard in an instant.

He didn't notice that the door opened. For a while he wasn't aware of the fact that someone was watching him as he tried to relieve himself. A heavy sigh startled him and he felt a blush on his cheeks as he turned towards the sound.

Ianto stared at him for a moment before he lowered his gaze and focused on the floor. Jack swallowed hard. "Come." He lifted the duvet and scooted over a bit to give room for the man. Whatever this was, he couldn't turn it down even if he tried.

After twisting his hand's for a moment, Ianto untied the string of his robe and revealed that he was completely naked underneath. He let the garment fall to the floor before he hurriedly slipped under the cover.

Jack wanted to fuck him so bad, but again he let his own pleasure come second. He gave Ianto the same treatment as last night, and he could hear that he enjoyed it, but then suddenly he got pushed away. Not knowing what he did wrong, Jack tried to catch Ianto's eyes.

"How can I please you? I want to… I don't know what to do." Ianto looked away somewhat embarrassed and it was rather cute. Jack knew exactly what he wanted, but wasn't sure if the guy was ready. He leaned in and kissed him gently as he let his hand travel down his chest. "You can fuck me." Jack was surprised by his own words. Normally, he would have wanted to make sure that he had established himself as an ultimate top before he would even suggest anything like that.

It sounded like Ianto was about to choke, but then he drew his breath heavily. "But... Won't it hurt? I mean… oh, God…"

Armed with a small tub of Vaseline, which he managed to grab from his bag, Jack coated Ianto's cock before he rubbed his own asshole with the stuff. If he was going to get penetrated, he still needed to be in control, so he pushed Ianto over on his back and straddled him.

It did hurt, but Jack managed to keep that to himself. He didn't take this position very often, but he knew it would bring great pleasure if he just went slow.


	7. Committed

There was no going back. Ianto knew that he was done for, but he had no idea how to proceed. When he came to his own room in the early morning hours, he hurried to ruffle the sheets in his bed so it would look like it had been in use. He then showered and got ready to go to work.

He had hardly slept a wink that night, so when he and his father left for the city, he had to let John take the wheel.

Ianto was proficient in his work, so it didn't suffer much from his inability to concentrate during the week. Lisa obviously noticed that something was the matter, but she didn't ask. He wasn't sure if he could have sex with her, but that was not the problem. The problem was that he could only think about Jack as he pounded into her. He knew he was too rough about it and she looked somewhat frightened, but he managed to calm down and focus on her instead.

When he told her that he would go back to the manor the next weekend as well, she got visibly disappointed, but she didn't question it. Ianto knew what she worried about; she was afraid that he was fucking another girl, but she was obviously willing to let it slide for the time being.

Explaining to her that there weren't any girls in his life that could compare to her was of course an option, but he wasn't sure if he could keep a straight face. If she caught him in a lie, it would be way worse even if it technically wasn't a lie.

Ianto didn't care at the moment. He just wanted to explore this thing he had with Captain Harkness, and not worry about the future.

On Thursday evening, he explained to his father that he wasn't feeling well and that he wanted to go to the manor already that night. John offered to go with him, but Ianto knew that his father was working on a project that had to be done by the weekend, so the offer was just made out of courtesy.

As he drove out of London, he felt a tingle in his gut when he thought about seeing Jack again. He was very excited, and even if they hadn't exchanged a word since he left his room Monday morning, he was sure that the feeling was mutual.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack couldn't dismiss Harry completely without raising suspicions. He knew that the ladies of the house worried a little about the footman's behavior around men, so even suggesting that he didn't want the guy in his room could make them draw conclusions that could be devastating for the guy.

Instead, he opted to stay away from his room when he knew that it was time for Harry to come around and check if everything was in order. He left small notes for him if there was anything he wanted done in particular, and Harry seemed to understand the reason.

The chambermaid would probably be the only one who would question the fact that Jack never asked for Harry, but she didn't seem too bright.

After managing to avoid the guy for five whole days, he accidentally walked in on him as he was busy arranging some bottles on the bar. Jack wasn't sure if he should just leave, but Harry seemed quite unfazed and kept at it as if nothing was wrong.

When Jack dared to ask him for a drink, he poured it and came over, but he made an effort to avoid looking directly at him. Jack noticed that there was a sadness in Harry's eyes, and he wondered if he should ask him what was the matter.

He knew he would have time; the ladies of the house almost never entered this room, and nobody from the staff had any reason to come in there at the moment.

"Are you alright?" He took a chance and hoped that Harry would understand that he was genuinely concerned. "I'm fine, Sir." Harry had his back turned against him as he answered, and there was no indication that he was going to elaborate.

"I'm sorry about what happened, and I know it was wrong of me to lead you on." Jack paused for a second and waited for a reaction. He could see that the guy tensed up, but he still didn't say anything. "I'm too old for you anyway. Just you wait. You'll find somebody eventually."

Jack took a sip from his drink as he stared at the young man's back. He heard that Harry drew his breath a couple of times before he finally turned around. "Don't flatter yourself, eh, Sir. I did it for me. Find someone? Here? I think not."

He was obviously done with whatever he was doing, and walked towards the door. "I'm sorry, Sir, but you're too full of yourself. I needed it just as much as you. I have nobody." After a short hesitation he added: "If you will excuse me, Sir. I have work to do."

Baffled by the boy's boldness, Jack stared at the door he'd disappeared through. "Poor kid." He thought to himself. "He's stuck here for a lifetime with no options." For a moment Jack wished that he could have gotten together with the guy just as a courtesy.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Ianto arrived at the manor, his mother had already been informed that he was feeling a little under the weather, and she made a big fuss out of it. "Your father called and told us that you were on the way. I hope it's nothing serious. I can ask for one of the nurses to come and check on you."

Ianto was not even a little bit sick, but the white lie was definitely going to haunt him. "It's fine mother. It's just a cold." He coughed a little to try to convince her, but it didn't fly. "Poor baby, I'll make sure that you get proper care. Peter will come and help you."

One of the maids had already grabbed his bag and was on her way up the stairs. "I will inform Peter, and make sure he'll come to your room shortly." His mother didn't let up. It was silly really, to let the young girl carry his bag, but he had to keep up this charade. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. A good night's sleep is probably all I need." He looked at his mother and smiled. "And maybe a little pampering in the morning."

He knew that his bag was quite heavy because it contained a stack of books, and he could see that that the maid struggled a little. "I can take the bag. I promised Captain Harkness to bring a few books, and I can carry them myself." He hoped that nobody would ask Jack about this, because they had never talked about it.

After being in the Captain's room, he'd noticed that there were quite a few science fiction books in there, so he'd trailed through the library to find similar titles. He wanted an excuse to invite the man to his room, and couldn't come up with anything better.

Ianto was pretty sure that Jack didn't need an excuse, but it would be nice to have a cover story handy.

"I will ask Peter to bring them to the Captain if you wish. He took an early night, but I'm sure he is still awake." Mary followed him up the stairs, and Ianto got a little annoyed. "No. Peter can tell him to come over if he wants. I would really like to know in person if he likes my choices."

It took a little while to get rid of his mother, and Ianto did his best to convince her that he didn't need any help. "I'm fine. If The Captain is awake, I want him to come over to collect the books, but after that I just want to go to sleep."

Ianto was thoroughly tucked in with a hot water bottle on his chest and a bottle of cough syrup on the nightstand before Peter eventually left. Mary had not heeded his wish to not be disturbed and had called for the footman regardless. He got a creepy feeling that Peter knew what was up, but realized that it was probably his own paranoid mind playing tricks on him.

After finally being left alone, it took another half hour before he heard a knock on his door. Ianto knew for sure who it was, and he jumped out of bed as Jack entered. He didn't even hesitate as he dived into the man's arms.

"Books? What books? They told me to go and collect some books from your room, but I opted to wait until everybody had turned in." Jack left a trail of kisses down Ianto's chest. "I had no idea what the man was talking about, but I tried to act like I knew."

Ianto put his hand's on Jack's cheeks and kissed him passionately. "Don't worry about it. Just take the books when you leave."

They didn't fuck, but it didn't matter. Rubbing against each other to get a release was enough at the moment. Ianto remembered vividly how it was to fuck the man, but they had a whole weekend to try it again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack knew that he had to get back to his room shortly. If anybody decided to check on the 'sick' Ianto, they would be busted. It was just so hard to walk away. He scooted out of bed and picked up his clothes. "Harry need to be somewhere else. Somewhere he can meet, ehm, where he can be himself." Jack stroke Ianto's cheek and gave him a quick peck on his shoulder. "Can't you help him find a position in London?"

Ianto lifted his head from the pillow and stared at him. "You couldn't leave him alone, could you? Are you trying to make me jealous?"

Jack practically jumped back into the bed again. "No. I have barely seen him for days, but he is troubled. He needs to meet someone he can be with, and that will never happen here at the manor."

After a languid kiss, Jack sat up and cocked his head. "I'm not interested in him, but he needs someone. He's not really interested in me either, so you don't have to worry, but I feel for him. He needs another environment."

It made sense. Ianto decided to push the jealousy away and give the suggestion a thought. Harry had been his friend in the past, and he wanted to help him. "I'll see what I can do, but it will take a while." He let his hand run down Jack's back. "I promise to look into it."


	8. Making plans

When Ianto returned to London on Monday, he was pretty sure that he'd experienced the best weekend of his life. It was unfortunate that he didn't get to fuck Jack again. That was a minor drawback. The two of them had spent every night together, and when they were forced to be in the same room with the rest of the family, they had managed to keep up appearances.

He had no idea about how to keep this from his fiancee, because he knew for sure that he didn't want to let Jack go. He didn't want to have to choose, and sooner or later he had to come up with a plan.

'Later' sounded so much better, so Ianto decided to go for that option at the moment.

Thinking it through one more time made him realize that he really didn't have much of a choice. A relationship with Jack would have to be kept under wraps, so what he technically needed was to find a way to be with him without jeopardizing everything he had accomplished in his life so far.

He didn't quite know what the man did for a living, but he knew he traveled a lot. Ianto could possibly join him on some of these trips, and still have a normal life in London when he came back.

Jack planned to leave the manor in a little more than a week, and Ianto knew they needed to talk about this before the guy left for America.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After the short conversation with Harry the other day, Jack tried to find a way to help the guy. He wasn't sure if Harry was even interested in his help, but he couldn't just let the young man stay in this godforsaken place forever.

Jack even thought that they could hire him, but even if he seemed both intelligent and street-smart, he had no education that could be useful for Torchwood. He had nothing to do with that regardless, and he doubted that the man in charge would put Harry on the payroll just because Jack felt sorry for the guy.

The two of them had on several occasions been in the same room after that, and it went very well. There had even been some light flirting involved; it was very innocent, and they both knew that it didn't mean anything.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Lisa announced that she would like to come with him the next time Ianto went to the manor, he got a little wary. He had made plans to go there the next weekend, and he wanted to spend as much time a possible with Jack. He also wanted to talk to him about how they could get together after his trip to America. All this could be very difficult with Lisa around, and he had to look at his options.

He could of course decide to not go, but that would probably mean that he wouldn't get to see Jack for a very long time, if ever.

Another option was to tell Lisa that she couldn't join him, but coming up with a reasonable explanation for that seemed impossible.

After a long and hard deliberation with himself, he decided that he had to take her with him. Since they were not married, his mother would not allow them to share a room, so he would still be able to meet up with Jack during the night regardless.

They were leaving on Friday night, and Lisa came to his apartment to help him pack. Ianto didn't feel that he needed her help, but she was adamant about it. The valet, James, had been given the weekend off and had left before Ianto returned from work.

"Where are the cufflinks I gave you?" Lisa was sifting through the little box on the dresser. "Did you put them somewhere else?" Ianto had no idea where they were. They were too fancy to use for work, and he hadn't been to any parties lately. Before he got a chance to say anything, Lisa continued. "And the earrings. I left my earrings here a couple of weeks ago, and I can't find them."

He knew it. A lot of things had gone missing over the last year, and he had had his suspicions about James. There had never been anything really valuable disappearing, so Ianto had just let it slide. The cufflinks were pure gold embedded with semi precious stones. He didn't know which earrings Lisa was talking about, but he knew he well enough to understand that they weren't cheap.

"You have to get rid of him." When Ianto told her about his suspicions about James, she showed no forgiveness. "We will probably not get it back, but the man is a thief. You should report it to the police."

Ianto knew she was right, but James was gone for the weekend and there was nothing he could do at the moment. After promising Lisa that he would confront the guy as soon as they came back, she relaxed somewhat.

"I don't want to involve the police. We can take the loss."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack got a little surprised when he learned that Ianto was going to bring his fiancee to the manor. It would definitely put a dent in his plans for the weekend, but he wasn't totally discouraged.

"Where there's a will, there's a way." He looked at himself in the mirror as he got ready to meet up with the family for supper. He knew that the relationship he had with Ianto was doomed as soon as it started, but Jack was determined to make the most of their last weekend together regardless.

In about six months, Ianto would marry this girl, and they would probably start a family sooner or later. It was kind of troubling to realize, but Jack knew that he couldn't take her place in Ianto's life.

The heartbreak would be much more severe if he had to see the guy grow old and die, so he knew it had to end soon.

Knowing that Ianto would have a life with someone he cared deeply about was a comfort, but Jack couldn't help feeling a little jealous.

He braced himself for the meeting with the girl who would have to pick up the pieces of the relationship that would never be.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

For the first time since he became a footman, Harry was allowed to serve supper. He was clearly nervous, but he managed fine. Ianto noticed the encouraging and borderline flirtatious glances Jack gave the guy, and it did not sit well with him.

When the men later withdrew to his father's study for a drink, Lisa decided to join them . It was very inappropriate, but except for his mother's clandestine headshake nobody commented on it.

Lisa had gotten to know Harry when he helped out in the infirmary during the war, and she addressed him as a peer when he served the drinks. "It's silly really, that you are serving me. We were coworkers back then, and it feels it a little awkward that you can't join us for a drink."

Ianto noticed that Jack gave Harry a wink before he looked at Lisa and nodded approvingly. "He's too good for this. He should be somewhere else." Jack turned to Harry and smiled. If the looks the two of them shared at dinner were a little unnerving for Ianto, this time it was perfectly clear that Jack was in fact flirting with the guy. Ianto felt his heart drop, and wondered if something had happened between them while he had been in the city.

Harry didn't say anything, but he composed himself quickly. After making sure that everybody was satisfied with their drinks, he left the room.

Lisa had obviously picked up on the flirting, and as soon as John decided to call it a night, she turned to Jack with a disgruntled expression on her face.

"Harry is a sweet boy. That he is not interested in girls is a problem for him, but you, Captain Jack Harkness," Her voice was dripping with contempt. "You should keep your hands off. He is way too good for you, you pervert."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

For the first time in a couple of weeks, Jack decided to call for Harry to come to his room. He showed up, but he was clearly uncomfortable with being there. "Sorry, Sir, but we shouldn't be seen together. Your reputation could be in jeopardy."

Jack shook his head. "My reputation? I have no reputation to worry about." He sighed and turned to Harry. "I'm so sorry that I embarrassed you, but I really feel that you belong somewhere else." He told Harry what had happened in the room after he left. "I'm baffled by her insight, and I wonder how she could have known."

Technically, Jack wasn't too concerned about what Lisa knew about Harry, he was more worried about the fact that she'd seen right through him, and that would make it way harder to hook up with Ianto.

"Of course she knows." Harry scoffed. "I had an affair with one of the soldiers, and she caught us." He chuckled humorlessly. "She handled it very well, and she didn't tell anybody."

So Lisa wasn't appalled and disgusted by homosexuals in general, it was only Jack she had resentments towards. He was fine with that because he had no intentions to have much to do with her anyway.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto walked Lisa to her room. She wanted him to stay the night, but he excused himself. "Mother will have a heart attack if she finds out. We better sleep separately tonight." He didn't want to leave immediately because he was curious about Lisa's little speech downstairs.

"What was that about the Captain and Harry? There's obviously nothing going on there." He looked at her as he shrugged. "Nobody else seemed to find it inappropriate, and Harry's sexual preferences shouldn't be talked about. I'm surprised that you even knew."

"Of course I knew." Lise scoffed and shook her head. "I knew everything about everybody in the infirmary." She had already started to undress, and Ianto knew that it was his cue to get out of there. As he scooted towards the door she turned to him. "But I agree with the Captain on one thing. Harry is better than this. He should have been able to go to university. He is a very bright young man."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto wasn't completely confident about Lisa staying in her room, so inviting Jack over was out of the question. Instead he decided to sneak across the hall sometime during the night to spend time with the Captain in his room. They hadn't talked about it, but Ianto was pretty sure he would be welcomed.

When he turned the corner to go his own sleeping quarters after the little chat with Lisa, he made a startling discovery. Harry didn't see him as he closed the door to Jack's room and hurried down the hall, and Ianto was too far away to say anything without shouting.

Could it be that Jack hadn't managed to keep his hands off the guy? Was it possible that the two of them had engaged in unspeakable activities? Ianto wanted to confront Jack immediately, but he decided to wait until he was sure everybody else was asleep.

Time travelled very slowly as Ianto nervously walked back and forth in his room, and eventually he couldn't take it any longer.

He didn't bother to knock, he just hurried inside and closed the door before he leaned on it and sighed heavily. Jack jumped out of bed and came over. "Finally. I thought you'd never come." Ianto raised his hand to stop him. "So you didn't get enough from Harry?"

Jack stopped and stared at him. "What!?" A smile was tugging his lips, but didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's very cute that you're jealous, but nothing is going on between me and Harry. The flirting is just for show."

Ianto rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I saw him come out of your room." Jack had moved a little closer and he reached his hand out for Ianto. Forcefully, Ianto pushed it away. "Don't. I'm very disappointed, and I don't think I should stay."

Jack was clearly not of the same opinion, and with a swift move, he grabbed Ianto's wrists and practically pinned him up against the door. "Listen! I only want you. Harry is cute, but not my type. He came here because I wanted to apologize for embarrassing him earlier."

The kiss that followed was so violent that Ianto could feel the taste of blood in his mouth. Jack pulled back for a second. "I have waited for this moment the whole week, and I'll be damned if it should be ruined by you believing that I would go ahead and screw it up." Ianto barely had time to swallow the blood before again had Jack's lips on his.

His shirt got practically ripped open before Jack dragged him towards the bed and pushed him down. The gentle caresses he'd gotten used to was missing, but Ianto soon discovered that this was extremely arousing.

It took only seconds for them to undress and they rolled around on the bed before Jack pushed Ianto over on his stomach. He knew what was going to happen and it scared him somewhat, but not enough to pull away.


	9. The beginning of the end

Lisa came to his room early in the morning and crawled into his bed. Ianto was still shaken up after being thoroughly fucked a few hours ago, and had a hard time facing her. The memory about it was very clear, and it was helped along by his slightly sore ass.

He couldn't just push her away, but there was no way he was going to be able to have sex with her right now. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'm just too tired." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he pretended to try to go back to sleep.

She wasn't fooled. "What's the matter? I can feel it. Something is bothering you." Lisa leaned on her elbow and stared at him, and Ianto knew he had to come up with an explanation. "I'm fine, but it's just too awkward. In this house I… I can't."

Lisa hit him him on the shoulder. "Pfft. What a lame excuse. Nobody cares unless your mother walked in on us in person, and that will never happen."

Ianto knew that she was making sense. If any of the staff discovered it, they would probably talk about in their quarters, but none of them would ever share it with Mary. "I know, but it still doesn't feel right." Ianto tried on a smile. "We'll be back in the city before you know it, and then…"

There was no doubt that she was angry as she got out of his bed and crossed the floor. "Whatever you wish." She didn't seem to worry about anyone finding out that she'd been to his room, because she slammed the door pretty hard as she left.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack had a smile on his face when he woke up, but it faded quickly. Before the weekend was over he would have to tell Ianto that they could never meet again, and it pained him. Jack had fallen in love before, so he knew he would recover from it, but it would still hurt for a long while.

Going back to work would help a lot. He missed his coworkers and he missed being part of a team. Tim had conditionally agreed to his terms, and decided to join if he was allowed to visit his family on a regular basis. The two of them would likely spend less than two weeks in America before Jack could return to Torchwood with their new hire.

Over there, he would probably find someone that could take his mind of Ianto, and eventually all this would just be a fond and distant memory.

What happened during the night had been absolutely delightful, and Jack was very eager for a rerun. He wasn't quite sure if Ianto shared his opinion because he knew he had been a little rough with him. "So what?" Jack uttered the words silently to himself. If he didn't get to fuck the guy tonight, there were still lots of other options.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The shirt he wore yesterday was missing a couple of buttons, but Ianto didn't think much of it as he threw it on the chair to find another. Peter had been to his room and offered to help him dress, but Ianto had turned it down. Having another man touch his body felt like a betrayal; the only hands he wanted to feel were Jack's, and he could hardly wait for their next encounter.

He entered the breakfast room to find that the rest of the family was already seated. He gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek before he sat down next to Lisa and squeezed her hand gently.

Jack was the only one missing, but it wasn't so strange. He didn't get much sleep last night. Ianto knew that he himself could have used a few more hours in bed, but he was just too elated to even think about sleep.

When the Captain eventually showed up, the rest of them were practically done, and Lisa hurried to excuse herself. She gestured for Ianto to come with her as she threw a piercing stare at Jack.

Harry had been helping out in there, but as soon as Jack was seated, he withdrew himself. Ianto knew that he would go to Jack's room and make sure that it was spotless. Last night, Jack had explained that he and Harry had avoided being in the room at the same time, but that he had to let him come there to avoid a confrontation with the ladies. Ianto understood, and he was actually happy that Jack had been so considerate.

Ianto lounged around for a few hours after breakfast, just listening to the radio and sifting through Saturday's paper. Jack was in the infirmary, and Lisa was playing cards with his parents and his cousin Philip. Aunt Dorothy wasn't feeling well and had withdrawn to her room. Ianto was bored, and was on his way to fetch a book when Harry entered the room.

He tidied away a couple of empty glasses and cups before he moved towards Ianto. Balancing the tray in one hand, he reached into his pocket and whispered: "Your buttons, Sir." There was a smirk on his face as he clandestinely shoved two buttons into Ianto's hand. "I thought that you might want them back."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack has spent time with Tim to help get him ready for their trip. One of the nurses showed him how to change the dressing on the stump, and also explained what kind of exercises he had to do.

If everything went according to plan, Tim could eventually be able to walk again with a proper prosthetic leg. Jack knew that at Torchwood they had the technology to provide him with just that, so the guy would soon get a lightweight futuristic leg to walk on instead of the heavy wooden things that were on the market.

He waited a while before he went back to join the family. Jack felt that Lisa was a little too perceptive for comfort, so he wanted to stay away from her especially. Not that that was a problem. She had clearly showed that she was uninterested in being in the same room as him if she didn't have to.

Even if he and Ianto hadn't spent too much time together during his previous visits, there had been occasions where they could just sit and talk over a drink. Lisa made that completely impossible now because she made sure to hang onto Ianto everywhere he went.

Ianto had told Jack about her suspicious mind, and Jack chuckled to himself when he realized that she was trying to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't meet his 'mistress'. Who she thought he would meet here at the manor was beyond him, until he remember that there were a few cute nurses left in the infirmary.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A couple of hours before supper, Lisa decided to go to the infirmary. She had worked there for almost four years, and knew most of the remaining staff.

Jack tried to get a moment alone with Ianto while she was gone, but got intercepted by Philip and dragged into the study. Jack didn't really know the boy, so he got a little surprised. Turned out that Philip had fallen in love with his friend's sister, and wanted Jack to tell him how to seduce her. "I can't ask anybody else, but you have been out and about."

There was a cute little blush on the guy's cheeks, but he didn't get discouraged by it. "She is nineteen, but I'm almost eighteen." He sighed and threw his hands out. Jack wanted to laugh, but he knew how it was to be a teenager in love. It was a while ago, but he remembered the feeling.

"Do you want to marry her, or just…" He didn't want to say the words out loud, but Philip understood perfectly. "I don't… I don't know. She is the most beautiful girl, and I just want to…" He paused and looked at Jack a little shyly. "If I have to marry her to get her, I will, but she doesn't look at me as a man. I'm just her little brother's friend."

There was no quick fix for this, and Jack didn't really know what to say. "You have to make sure she notices you first. You have to do something that is bold and brave. Something that will make her look at you differently."

Philip scoffed. "Bold and brave? I'm not bold and brave." He shook his head. "I thought you were an expert. I have seen you flirt with the nurses, uh, and my mother." A look of disdain travelled over the boy's face. "Don't do that again, please." He chuckled a little nervously. "I have even noticed the flirtatious glances you have thrown towards one of the footmen."

To Jack's surprise, Philip didn't seem half as repulsed by that as he was by the fact that his own mother had been a subject of Jack's advances. "It's just flirting. It doesn't mean anything." He smiled and looked at the boy. "I really have no idea about what you should do. I'm not as proficient in this as you seem to believe." It was a long time since he had been in actual pursuit of anybody. Jack almost always went for the easy targets. It was easier that way. A quick fuck, or sometimes even a week or two of pleasure was all he could afford.

He had to look away for a second to compose himself. The feelings that had developed between him and Ianto was so out of character for him. "I'm sorry Philip. If you want an affair with her, I could could possibly give you a few pointers, but if you truly love her, I don't know what you should do."

Philip looked a little disappointed, but then he drew his breath heavily. "Bold and brave? I could just tell her that she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." He shrugged a little. "That would be quite bold, don't you think?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, that would be bold. It is a real option, but you could risk losing her." Philip stared at him for a long time, and it started to get a little uncomfortable. "But wouldn't that mean that I'm brave also? If I dare to do this, I have showed that I'm not scared of anything."

It was amazing. The boy had figured it out himself. Jack didn't know if it would work, but he leaned back in the chair and chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "You have outdone me. What can I say? If she turns you down there will be other girls. You're young and you have time."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto wasn't sure how to deal with the fact that Harry knew. It wasn't like he had full disclosure, but he had to be pretty stupid to not draw his own conclusions. Harry was definitely not stupid, and the smirk on his face as he handed Ianto the buttons was quite revealing.

Lisa followed him around all day, an Ianto couldn't come up with any excuse to get away from her. He wasn't bothered by her company, but he really wanted to get a chance to tell Jack about the recent development.

Exchanging a few words with Harry could possibly also ease his discomfort, or maybe it would only make it worse.

When the whole family eventually met up for supper, he tried to keep a low profile. It wasn't so hard. Mary and Dorothy always kept the conversation going, and they didn't really expect Ianto and his father to join in.

Philip had his own agenda, and tried to get them to invite his friend's family over sooner or later. Dorothy agreed with him, but she wasn't interested in pursuing it at the moment. Mary made an effort to keep Lisa in the conversation, but one didn't have to be very perceptive to understand that she struggled to accept this dark skinned beauty.

Jack tried to address him a couple of times, but with Harry ghosting around serving drinks, Ianto felt it was better to avoid giving the footman any more ammunition.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack didn't know what was the matter. He and Ianto had been good at behaving as semi-strangers, so he was a little puzzled when the guy ignored him completely over supper.

He knew that he couldn't go to Ianto's room, so he waited patiently for a visit after everybody else had gone to bed.

Two hours went by, and Jack started to think that Ianto would never show up. He should have been happy about it. They both knew that Jack would leave the manor for good in a couple of days and if Ianto had had enough of him, it would be easier to go.

Lisa seemed like a perfect match for Ianto, and even if he felt a little jealous, Jack knew that it was for the best.

He gave up waiting and tried to make himself comfortable as he forced the thought of Ianto out of his head. Just as sleep was about to catch up on him, Jack heard the soft knock on his door. He was reasdy to get out of bed when Ianto entered. The man didn't approach, he just leaned on the door. "Harry knows. I don't think he will say anything, but he knows."

Jack didn't know how Harry had found out, but he didn't care. He wanted to embrace the man, so he moved closer, but got pushed away. "I don't know what to do. We can't meet like this anymore, but you can come visit me in London."

Oh, how he wished that this relationship could go on forever. Jack drew his breath heavily and reached out for Ianto. "Sorry. This is it. I'm leaving soon, and we will probably never meet again."

Ianto looked up abruptly. "You will come back from America, right? We can…" He grabbed on to Jack's hands and stared into his eyes. "Nobody has to know. You know where I live."

It was really hard to let go, but Jack knew that he had to. "This has to be over. My work is too… I can't really have a relationship." He stroke Ianto's cheek. "It had to end eventually. Lisa is a nice girl. You'll be happy with her. I'm not worthy of your affection."


	10. Loss

Of course they ended up in bed together. Jack was more gentle than he'd ever been, but Ianto wasn't into 'gentle' at this time. "Fuck me." He knew it would hurt, but if this was his last chance to be with Jack, he wanted to feel him inside of him.

When they laid together on Jack's bed afterwards, Ianto reached out and grabbed the man's hand. "This doesn't have to be over, I can wait for you."

Jack turned and kissed him on the cheek. "No. I can't. I love you, Ianto, but I don't want to ruin your life."

He didn't want to cry, but the lump in his throat was really bothersome. He got up and got dressed before he walked towards the door. "You are ruining my life now. Why Jack? We can… nobody has to know."

Jack got up and walked towards him. "It's not for you. It's for me. I can't do this because it will lead to a bigger heartbreak down the road. Believe me, you don't want this."

They stared at each other for a moment before Ianto turned around and opened the door. "I don't understand. I don't want this to end." Jack just stood there and shook his head.

Just as he was about to exit, he turned around and pulled Jack into an embrace, and they engaged in a languid kiss that Ianto didn't want to end. When their lips finally parted he knew that that was it and it hurt. Jack gave him a crooked smile. "Goodbye Ianto. This is for the best." Suddenly Jack's eyes widened as he stared at something behind Ianto's back.

"What is going on? Is this why you have been so eager to come here every weekend?! I knew it. I knew something wasn't right." The sound of Lisa's voice was increasing as she spoke, and Ianto worried that she could be heard throughout the house.

Jack reached out for her and dragged her into the room before he covered her mouth with his hand. "Shut up for goodness sake." Jack held on as Lisa struggled a little to come loose. "If you want to make this into a bigger drama than what it has to be, you can go ahead and shout about it, but I don't think you want to do that."

Ianto had gotten a little shaken, and it took a moment for him to recover. He didn't know how long she'd been there, or what she had seen. "Yes. He is the reason, but nothing happened." He threw a quick peek at Jack. "He seduced me, but he didn't follow through. I love you, Lisa. It's just…" It was hard to continue, but he noticed that Lisa relaxed somewhat. "I was curious, but I'm not anymore. He can never give me what I want. You are the only one for me."

The words left a bad taste in his mouth. Ianto looked at Jack briefly and could see that they didn't sit well with him either. It was somewhat satisfying. "Please Lisa. He means nothing to me. I was a fool to think… I was just curious." Ianto noticed that Jack scrunched his face a little as if he was in pain, and it felt good. Ianto knew that his own heart wouldn't mend easily, but it felt a little better to know that Jack's would hurt just as much.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They left early the next morning and Lisa demanded to be taken straight home. Ianto didn't know what she was going to do with the information she had, but he just had to hope for the best. They didn't exchange many words on the long drive, although Ianto had tried, but Lisa clammed up and refused to talk about it.

His family had been surprised by the sudden departure, but nothing in Lisa's behavior gave them any clues to the reason. Ianto was amazed by her act, because he knew that she was both shaken and extremely angry.

He dropped her off at her house and went home. He just had to wait and see. As Ianto entered his flat, he heard that someone was in there, and he wondered a little. James was on leave and nobody else but the maid had the key.

Ianto didn't see himself as a particularly brave man, so he was a little scared as he quietly ascended the stairs.

With one hand in the jewelry box, James flipped around and stared at him. "Sorry Sir. I was just…" Ianto didn't want to hear it. "Please leave. I know what you have been up to, but I'm not in the mood to call the police." He stepped out of the room and waited until James followed. "Just go. If you have anything here that you need, get somebody else to pick it up. I don't want to see you ever again."

John was the one who'd hired James in the first place, so Ianto felt compelled to tell his dad about the incident. "It's fine, I can live without him. Mrs Abbott has agreed to come a little more often." The maid had showed up early on Monday morning and Ianto had to explain to her why James was not there.

His father had grown up without a waiting staff, so he was fine with the new arrangement, but as soon as Mary got wind of it, she demanded that he should find another valet.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Jack and Tim left the next Tuesday. The young man had never been on a commercial flight before and acted like it was his first flight ever. Jack knew better, and he had to smile when Tim turned to him midair. "Girls on a plane. Am I in heaven?"

It had been a few years since the first air-hostess had walked the aisle on a commercial flight, but Jack could understand Tim's excitement.

When Tim told Jack that he was from New York, Jack had always thought it was the city. He had been wrong. They got picked up by Tim's brother in a dingy old truck, and had to suffer through a three hour drive. Some of the roads were very poorly paved, so it was a bumpy ride.

Jack was quite shaken up when they finally arrived at the small farm house. This was so different from what he'd gotten used to lately, but it was kind of nice. Tim's family greeted him with warmth, and he felt that he could really be himself in this environment.

It took two days for him to realize that it wasn't so different from the manor. In the middle of nowhere without any close neighbors, it got extremely boring. He'd thought he could go out to find someone to hook up with while he was in America, but there was nobody around.

During the day, Tim spent time with his father and brother. With one leg and crutches, he couldn't be at much help as they worked on the land, but he did his best. He tried to get Jack to join, but the manual labor didn't suit him one bit.

The only females in the vicinity were Tim's mother and his sister-in-law. None of them seemed to be impressed with Jack's subtle attempts on seduction, and he didn't dare to pull out the big guns.

The young farmhand was another option, but Jack almost got punched in the face when he tried to chat him up. Jack apologized and hoped that the little incident would be kept between them. It did, but the man made sure to stay at least ten feet away from him at any given time.

They stayed there for a little more than a week. Jack was practically climbing the walls at that time, and could hardly wait to get out of there.

It was a little sad because Tim's family had treated him very well, but he couldn't have taken one more minute at that place.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The week that had gone by was probably the longest in his life. Ianto hadn't seen Lisa at all, and he wondered what she was thinking. He took on some extra work to avoid going home. Sitting alone in his flat was not an option at the moment.

His father left on Friday to go to the manor, while Ianto stayed on. He didn't even know if he ever wanted to go back, but he knew that he probably would have to at some point in the future.

It took less than a day. He received a call Saturday afternoon. Albert had had a heart attack, and he was probably not going to make it, so Ianto felt compelled to go there. The butler had been like a second father to him, and he remember vividly how the man had taken care of him when he was a kid.

He was in his early fifties when Harry was born, and two years later he lost his wife. Uncle Edward had hired a nanny to take care of the child because he didn't want Albert to have to leave the manor.

The nanny wasn't the only one taking care of the boy. The whole staff was there for him and he started early helping out in the kitchen. When it was time to start school, he had to go to the village. It was a two hour walk back and forth, but Harry never complained.

Ianto arrived in the evening hoping it wasn't too late. Harry met him at the door, and Ianto gave him a quick hug before he followed him to his father's room.

Albert was not alert. It looked like he was sleeping, and his face was relaxed. Harry kneeled by the bed and grabbed the man's hand. Ianto could hear him sniffle a little and wanted to comfort him, but decided to keep a distance.

"The doctor said it was just a matter of time." Harry's voice was trembling. "He didn't think he'd wake up again." Ianto pulled up a chair and sat down. He didn't know what to say, and he could feel tears pressing on behind his eyelids.

Every member of the family came to the room during the night. None of them stayed long, but it was clear that they all shared Harry's pain. Albert had been there for many years, and losing him was like losing a family member.

He drew his last breath in the early morning hours. Harry had been sitting on the floor the whole night, and now Ianto joined him. They both held on to the old man's hand, until Peter came in to give them breakfast. He immediately understood what had happened, and alerted the rest of the house.

Ianto left Harry alone with his father, and decided to try to get some sleep. He stopped outside the door to his room before he turned around. With a sigh, he crossed the hall and entered the room where Jack had been staying.

There were no traces of the man left there, except for the books Ianto had got for him. He lied down on the bed and clenched the pillow as he cried himself to sleep. He cried for Albert and for Harry, but he also cried for himself. He missed Jack so much, and he didn't know how he could go on as if nothing had happened.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as they returned to England, Jack brought Tim to Torchwood One for a tour. He was very tempted to go and see Ianto while they were in London, but he didn't dare. He knew that leaving him a second time would hurt more for them both.

Instead, he put Tim up in a hotel and went out to find someone that could help him forget. Buying a hooker was out of the question, but he relied on his seduction skills. There was always someone around looking for a quick hook-up, he just had to be in the right place at the right time.

He woke up the next morning in a unfamiliar bedroom with a girl wrapped around him. Jack managed to get out of the embrace without waking her before he grabbed his clothes and snuck out. The sex had been okay; not great, but somewhat satisfying. He would never want to see her again, and he was sure she felt the same.

Getting back to his own turf would probably help. In Cardiff, Jack knew exactly where to go to get his mind off everything. Work would keep him busy, and that would help a lot..

Before they left the city, Jack took a detour through Ianto's street. The house was quiet, and there weren't any lights on inside. Ianto was probably at work, toiling away with his numbers. Jack wondered how long it would take before he could wake up in the morning without thinking about him.


	11. Closure

With Albert's death and a funeral to plan, there hadn't been any time to talk about a new valet for Ianto. He didn't worry about it himself, and was doing fine with only Mrs Abbott around.

Lisa had learned the sad news, and had come over to comfort him. She didn't talk about what happened the last time they saw each other, but Ianto could feel that it was still bothering her.

She wanted to come with him to the funeral on Friday, and Ianto had no problems with that. Lisa had also known Albert, and she considered Harry a friend.

The trip went mostly in silence. Ianto didn't want to push her, but after more than an hour without a word between them, he couldn't take it any longer. "We need to talk. You have to tell me what you're thinking about all this..." He knew he sounded a bit desperate, but that was how he felt. Lisa shook her head. "Not now. Let's get through this first. We can talk tonight."

After the service, Dorothy had invited the whole staff to the big sitting room for drinks. The only two times this had happened before in Ianto's lifetime was after uncle Edward's funeral, and then that day they announced that the war was over.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After a late supper, Ianto walked Lisa to her room. His patience was up, and he needed to know. She had promised that she'd give him her view as soon as they were alone, and now it was time.

She stood there in the middle of the room with her back turned towards him for several seconds before she drew her breath heavily and turned around. Ianto watch in horror as she pulled the engagement ring off her finger and held it up for him to take it. He could see that her eyes watered up, and eventually, tears started to run down her cheek.

Ianto just stood there. He didn't want to take the ring. He wanted to hold her and comfort her instead. When he took a step forward and reach for her, she moved away and shook her head. "I can't do this. That man is always going to stand between us." Her voice was steady, but when she drew her breath again, it was clear that she was struggling to stay composed.

"He is gone. I will never see him again." Ianto threw his hands out. "It was just...Nothing. It was nothing." It was not nothing, and it pained him to have to lie. Lisa scoffed and looked down for a second. "You came here to meet him several times, and I could see that it made you happy. I was jealous before I even knew he existed, because I knew… I know that I can't make you that happy."

She took a step towards him and forced the ring into his hand. "Maybe you will never meet Captain Harkness again, but I hope you will find someone else that can bring you that kind of happiness."

Ianto knew that there was nothing more he could say at the moment. Lisa had made up her mind, and if he wanted her to change it, he needed time. In just a week he had lost both Jack and Lisa, and it wasn't fair. Falling for that handsome American was a horrible mistake, and it was about to ruin his life.

Just as he was about to walk away, Lisa grabbed his sleeve. He hoped that she regretted her words, so he hurried to turn around. It wasn't that, far from it. "Harry needs to get away. He has nobody left here, and he told me that he doesn't want to stay. Will you promise to help him?"

Ianto promised, although he had no idea what to do about it. One day he would find time to talk to Harry about it, but it wouldn't happen this weekend.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was amazing how easy it was to go on with your life, even after a terrible loss. Ianto managed his work as if nothing was wrong, and occasionally he went out with a couple of friends, just as he had done before this mess. There was a sadness in him that he didn't manage to shake that first week, but he did his best not to let it show.

Christmas came around and took his mind of things, but the pain inside didn't quite go away. His mother started nagging him about getting a new valet, and Ianto was both surprised and a little disturbed by it. How could he even think about that in his current situation?

She knew that the engagement was broken, and it made her even more eager. "You can't be all alone. You need someone to take care of you."

He tried to laugh it off. "Mother please. I can take care of myself…" Suddenly Lisa's and Jack's words came to mind, and he thought about it for a moment. "You know mother, if you insist, I have a suggestion. Let Harry come and try. It will give me time to find someone. I'm just not up for interviewing right now."

Two weeks later, Harry was installed in the flat. It took a little while for him to familiarize himself with the place, but he was a fast learner.

With the small inheritance he'd got after his father, Harry wanted to take some classes, and Ianto had no objections. Two nights a week, he went to evening classes. He refused to take any more time off, and was there for Ianto whenever he needed him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

His friends tried to set Ianto up with someone, and his mother wanted to throw him a party at the manor and invite wellbred singles women for him to meet, but Ianto turned down the offers. Even if he felt much better, he wasn't quite ready yet.

Over time, he managed to think about Jack without diving into depression. The pain from the memories was still a little raw, but he was occationally able to smile to himself when he thought about it. Lisa lived close by, so he couldn't avoid running into her from time to time, but it became easier with every meeting. When her engagement to a Doctor Mathers was announced, Ianto felt a pinch of pain because it had only been a month and a half since the break-up, but he was really happy for her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was late February, and Ianto was out with some coworkers after a long day at the office. They had had a couple of drinks already, and the mood was light. Ianto was laughing at one of his friend's jokes when the laughter got stuck in his throat.

The man leaning on the bar couldn't be anyone else. Not many people could carry a coat like that. Jack hadn't seen him, and Ianto wondered if he should just try to get out of there.

That old tingle in his gut and the excitement he felt when he saw the man at the manor came back full force. He had to go over there; he had to find out if the two of them could possibly have a future together.

Jack got visibly startled when Ianto tapped his shoulder, but he composed himself quickly. With all the other people around, they just shook hands and exchanged a friendly hug. "What are you doing here?" Ianto couldn't stop smiling as he stared into Jack's eyes.

"Work. I'm here for work." He reached over to Ianto and picked an invisible hair of his sleeve. "How are you? Do you want to go somewhere?" Ianto knew instantly what he meant, and for a moment, he contemplated on taking him to the flat. "Are you thinking that this could work out after all?"

Jack got clearly a little uncomfortable and he rubbed his chin. "I can't… We can't. Nothing has changed, but we could… you know. One night of pleasure could do us both good."

Ianto gave it a serious thought. Another night with Jack. He had dreamt about it and imagined how it would be, but when he had a chance, it wasn't so interesting anymore. "One night is not enough. I was over you, almost anyway. I can not let you tear me down again."

One didn't have to be a genius to understand that Jack got utterly disappointed, but he then bent his head down and closed his eyes. It took more than a minute before he looked up again, and Ianto could see that there were tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry. You're right. It has to be over.".

They walked out of the pub together, but decided to say goodbye there on the sidewalk. "This is it." Jack lifted his hand and touched Ianto's cheek with his fingertips before he leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. It was almost impossible to stay composed, but Ianto managed. "Yes, this is it."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Harry met him at the door, and the guy immediately noticed that something wasn't right. "Mr Jones, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost." Ianto pushed him away when he tried to take his coat. "Oh, Harry. Ianto, call me Ianto, I can't…"

Ianto threw his coat on a chair and went for the bar. "I met him. I met the Captain." He poured a drink and was about to take a sip, but hesitated. Then he grabbed another glass and filled it halfway before he gave it to Harry. "Have a drink with me, I need the company."

It was really nice having Harry there. There was never any trouble with him, and he managed the job excellently. Ever since he got hired, Ianto had spent a lot of time at work, and he had also made an effort to nourish the few friendships he had, so the two of them hadn't spent much time together. It was still nice to know that he was there, and that Ianto didn't have to come home to an empty flat.

They drank in silence. The two of them had never talked about Jack or what happened between him and Ianto, but it wasn't a secret that Harry knew. "It's over. It's definitely over." Ianto took another sip and looked at Harry. "I loved him you know. Maybe I still do, but I'm ready to move on now."

After finishing the drink, Ianto got up and headed for his room. "I think I feel better already. I needed closure."

Ianto was about to fall asleep when the door opened slowly. Harry tiptoed into the room and hurried over to the bed. It was so dark in there that he looked more like a shadow. Ianto didn't know what to think, and he should probably have said something, but he was a little taken aback.

Maybe Harry thought he was sleeping, but that shouldn't matter. His behavior was not in the manual for a valet. When he crawled under the covers, Ianto should definitely have done something, but he was unable to move.

"You can fire me tomorrow if you want, but I think I can take your mind of him for a while." Harry' lips were touching the skin on Ianto's neck, and a shiver went down his spine. Nimble fingers started to unbutton his nightshirt, and Ianto couldn't stop the soft moan that slipped out.


	12. The last farewell

Harry never slept in the valet's room again after that. Ianto just needed the comfort to begin with, but over time feelings started to develop. It took a few months before they considered themselves a couple, but only very close friends knew about it. To everybody else, they appeared as a gentleman and his faithful butler. It took almost thirty years before they dropped the charade, but it didn't really change much in their everyday life.

They had a part-time maid, but Harry was still the one who took care of Ianto and their home. He had taken some college classes, but was more interested in art, so he dropped out to pursue his passion.

Ianto made enough money for the both of them, so when Harry preferred to be domestic and then paint in his free time, it was quite alright.

Lisa moved out of the city with her husband, but one day in 1952, Ianto accidentally ran into her. It was a very pleasant meeting, and Ianto invited her and her husband for supper at the flat the next day. It took her about two and a half minute to understand that Ianto and Harry were an item, and she seemed pleased. "Are you happy?" It was the first thing she asked when they got a moment alone.

Ianto threw a peek at Harry who was busy mixing drinks at the far end of the room. "I am." He drew his breath. "He didn't sweep me off my feet. I hardly even noticed him back then, but he showed me love and he taught me true happiness. He is my life and I love him deeply."

Ianto's parents and aunt Dorothy never found out, or at least they didn't say anything. That Ianto never married was troubling for them all for a while, but then they just seemed to accept it.

Ianto took over the business in '54 when his father decided to retire. Dorothy had a stroke in '61 that she never recovered from, and she died peacefully in her sleep a few months later. John drew his last breath late in 73, almost ninety years old. Mary had been at good health all her life, but after her husband died, she kind of withered away. When they followed her to her grave only six months after John's funeral, Ianto said that she died from sorrow.

They never really told Rhiannon, but she learned about it from her son who was working in London, and occasionally came to visit his uncle. She didn't want to talk about it, and since they really didn't have much to do with her over the years it didn't matter. When she sometime in the early sixties started to mark the Christmas presents with both their names' they knew she had accepted their relationship.

The younger generations understood early what was going on. Philip never condoned it, but he didn't make a fuss. His daughter Rita had a different view on it and she lived with them for a while when she went to art school in London. She also spent many hours with Harry in his little studio. Even after she moved to Wales, she came to visit as often as possible, and Ianto and Harry almost looked at her as their own.

When his mother died, Ianto sold the business. They lived off the proceeds and spent some of it to travel the world.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Cardiff 2002

The two old men looked at the plaque, and the youngest of them, who had just turned 79 a few weeks prior, sighed. "My favorite author, about time he got his memorial. I met him once, did I tell you that?" The other man shook his head and smiled. "Many times sweetheart, many times." He leaned heavily on his walking stick. "What a silly idea to come here; just because you had a crush on Roald Dahl." He wasn't annoyed or anything, but he was tired from walking around in this place, and his knees were bothering him more than usual.

"I'm sorry. We can leave now. I just… since we were in Cardiff already, you know." Harry grabbed Ianto's arm, and they started to walk towards the restaurant where Rita was celebrating her 50th birthday.

As they were slowly ascending the few steps on the side of the plaza, Harry threw a peek over his shoulder as if to take in the sight of it one more time. With a gasp, he stopped and turned to his mate. It could look like he was having a heart attack. He clenched his chest and heaved before he slowly turned his head again. "Look. You have to see this. The likeness is uncanny. Well, I didn't bring my glasses, but…"

Ianto turned around slowly. He wasn't expecting to see anything special. Harry had a tendency to overdramatize things, but when he followed his line of view, he understood. There, by the water tower, was a man that looked exactly like Captain Jack down to that raggedy old coat. Ianto remembered him very well.

"That is unbelievable. Must be a son, eh, or maybe a grandson. Should we…?" He cursed silently when his knee crackled a little as he turned around fully. "Better not."

They stood there for a little while and stared at the man, both thinking that they had Jack to thank for the life they'd had together. "I was jealous of him. I loved you already back then, but I never thought I would get you." Harry chucked a little as he squeezed Ianto's arm.

"Hey, Jack!" A woman came up behind them and ran down the stairs before she stopped and waved to the man in the coat. "Hurry, I think we got something." The man seemed to have been lost in thoughts, but then he started to walk towards her. "You couldn't stay away from me anyway, could you?" He jokingly shouted it out as the two of them closed in on each other.

The woman shook her head. "Don't even try that with me Jack Harkness. I'm not interested. And by the way, what about the young man you picked up last night?"

Ianto and Harry exchanged a look, but then turned back to stare at the couple as they met only a few meters in front of them. The woman was covering their view somewhat, but they both recognized the movements of the man. It was almost a little terrifying to watch.

"We're going to be late." Ianto whispered, but he was unable to rip himself loose from the sight in front of him. "Hmm. I know." Harry whispered back.

When the man and the woman suddenly started walking straight towards them, they both hurried to look away, but followed the couple from the corners of their eyes. The man and the woman looked at them briefly as they approached, but it was that look you give someone that is just in your path. For a moment, the man slowed his pace before he turned and stared at them again. He seemed to get a little startled, but then he shrugged and picked up speed to catch up with the woman.

Harry and Ianto both knew it was impossible, but it was like they had encountered a ghost.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They went back to Cardiff to visit Rita a few times over the next couple of years, and they always looked for the man, but they never saw him again.

When Harry suddenly fell ill and it was discovered that he had severely advanced cancer, they couldn't really get out much at all. Ianto was already of poor health, and his knees had almost made him completely wheelchair bound at this time.

Harry wanted to stay at home as long as possible, so they hired a nurse for him. The illness was progressing rapidly, and it didn't take long before he was too sick even sit up. Eventually, he went into a coma, and everybody knew that he wasn't going to wake up again. The doctor wanted to bring him to the hospital, but Ianto refused, and told them to at least wait till the next morning. "One more night together. I deserve that much."

They had talked about this. Ianto had always thought he would be the one to go first, but the cancer had a will of it's own.

As soon as the nurse had made sure that both Ianto and Harry seemed comfortable, she left them alone. Ianto reached into the nightstand drawer and dug out the pills he had hidden away there. He didn't know how many he would need, but he had more than forty, so he assumed that it would be enough.

He adjusted Harry's morphine drip to the highest level before he struggled to get into bed next to him. Then he started popping pills one by one. When he was too tired to lift his hand to his mouth, he let go of the bottle and grabbed Harry's hand.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

2005

Jack was bored as he waited for one of his coworkers at the little bar. He had nothing to do, so he grabbed the newspaper from the counter. It was open to the obituaries, and he threw a quick glance at them before he looked for the comics.

Then he paused and looked at them again. A couple of familiar names from the past glared at him. The story of the two old men who died together in their home a few weeks ago was extremely emotional, and Jack had to wipe a tear from his cheek.

It wasn't only sadness that made his eyes tear up. He was happy really. Everything had obviously worked out for Ianto. That he and Harry got together and had lived happily ever after pleased Jack immensely. According to the writer, Rita Simmons, they had been together for almost sixty years, and a quick calculation told Jack that they hadn't hesitated long after he'd left. When he urged Ianto to help Harry back then, he hadn't expected this to be the result.

The writer didn't explicitly mention how Ianto died, but Jack read between the lines, and understood what had happened.

Next time he went to London, he visited their grave. The shared headstone told him that their families had accepted their relationship and again, he became a little emotional.

He laid down the roses he'd brought before he whispered a quiet 'goodbye.'

As he was about to walk away, he saw a couple come towards him. The woman in the wheelchair had dark skin and her face was extremely wrinkly, but Jack recognized those eyes immediately. It was clear that she was heading towards this particular grave, and Jack hurried to turn the other way and started to walk away.

"Captain Jack Harkness!" Lisa's voice sounded a bit fragile, but it had that same old pitch. "You couldn't stay away from him, from them, could you?" Jack was puzzled that Lisa knew it was him, and he turned slowly to face her. "You look the same as you did before, how nice." She smiled a little before her eyes suddenly stared at him in confusion. She turned to look at the man behind the wheelchair. "Why am I here? I don't like this man, I don't want to see him. And what was your name again."

The man looked at Jack and rolled his eyes before he addressed Lisa. "I'm Jimmi, your grandson. We are here to visit Ianto and Harry. This man has nothing to do with that." He stepped back and mouthed 'Sorry' to Jack, before he pushed the chair up to the grave.

Jack was about to withdraw. Lisa was obviously suffering from dementia, and that was probably the reason why she didn't even question the fact that Jack hadn't aged at all. It was kind of sad, but then again, she was a very old woman. Suddenly, she turned her head towards him again. "I should thank you Captain. Ianto would not have been happy with me. We loved each other, but it was the wrong kind of love. We would both have been miserable." She chuckled a little. "You loved him too, didn't you? You loved him enough to let him go. We both did."


End file.
